Gender based violence

Gender-based violence is internationally defined as violence perpetrated against a woman because of her gender, or violence that affects women disproportionately.

The forms of violence that particularly affect women are domestic violence, rape, stalking, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriages and honor-related violence and control.

Gender-based violence is discussed both professionally and across opinions, and part of the debate is about whether the concept should be defined more broadly, so it also includes violence that does not affect women but is gender-based in a different way. It could be, for example, hate crimes against gay men or trans men, or domestic violence against men.

The definitions of violence and to whom these definitions should apply, is evidently a major discussion.

A broader understanding is currently not part of the formal understanding of gender-based violence, as seen in, for example, international agreements.

Below you can read more about some of the forms of gender-based violence that are covered by international regulations.

Domestic violence

Domestic violence is the primary form of gender-based violence and is also called “intimate partner violence”. The term covers violence where the perpetrator is a current or former partner. Domestic violence can take many forms: physical, mental, sexual, material, digital and financial violence as well as stalking. More men than women commit violence and more women than men are exposed.

Read more about the forms of violence at Lev Uden Vold.

Psychological violence is most prevalent

Psychological violence is the most common form of domestic violence. This form of violence is defined as repeated acts that degrade, humiliate, violate, manipulate, threaten or isolate. It does not matter whether the actions take place in affect or are planned. The purpose is to control or limit the way of life of the victim of violence.

In 2019, psychological violence was criminalised in Denmark with a sentence of up to three years. Section 243 of the Penal Code reads:

“A person who belongs to or is closely connected with another’s household or has previously had such an affiliation with the household, and who repeatedly over a period of time exposes the other to grossly degrading, insulting or abusive behavior suitable for unduly controlling the other, punishable for psychological violence with a fine or imprisonment for up to 3 years. ”

In 2021, Danner took stock of the first two years of criminal psychological violence and concluded that the presentation of evidence is difficult in cases of psychological violence, and that the provision places new demands on the police investigation.

In the period from April 2019 to February 2021, there were 616 reports, 277 accused, 79 charges and 11 convictions for psychological violence.

Scope

There are several studies on how widespread violence is in Denmark. The National Institute of Public Health has conducted recurring surveys and estimated in 2018 that 1.6 percent of women and 0.8 percent of men were exposed to physical domestic violence annually. Young women in particular are at risk.

The study also showed that among the women, a larger proportion were exposed to serious violence, such as suffocation, attacks with weapons and throwing into walls, furniture or staircases.

Bisexual women are more exposed to domestic violence than heterosexuals. Gay and bisexual men are more exposed to domestic violence than heterosexuals. Transgender people are more exposed to domestic violence than cisgender people.

According to the National Institute of Public Health, there has been no significant change in the estimated number of female victims of physical domestic violence from 2005 to 2017. However, the number of male victims increased during the same period. In 2005, the estimated proportion of men exposed to physical domestic violence was 0.3 per cent, while in 2017, as mentioned, it was 0.8 per cent. The increase may be due to increased awareness on male victims.

Another status is from VIVE, which is the national research and analysis center for welfare. It estimated in 2018 that 3.9 percent of women and 1.2 percent of men had been exposed to psychological domestic violence within a year.

International scope

Worldwide, 17.8 percent of 15-49-year-old women who have been in a relationship have been exposed to physical or sexual violence from a partner within the past year.

Worldwide, domestic violence is most prevalent in Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand), South and Central Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. In these regions, more than 20 percent have been exposed to domestic violence.

The prevalence is lowest in Europe, North America and in East and Southeast Asia. Here, less than 10 percent have been exposed. These figures are taken from the UN’s organisation for equality and women, UN Women, which has many other figures on violence against women and women’s relationships.

The right to help depends on gender

If you are exposed to domestic violence in Denmark, you have the right to go to a crisis center or a similar housing offer. But the law is not exactly the same for men and women.

Women can enter women’s shelters under section 109 of the Service Act, while men can stay at men’s centers and hostels under section 110 of the Service Act.

There are thus two different paragraphs. In practice, the difference is, among other things, that women in shelters and their accompanying children are each entitled to 10 hours of free psychological help.

That offer exists today only as a temporary scheme for men. From 2022 to 2023, men who are exposed to violence in close relationships and who stay on section-110-shelters can get psychological help from the organisation Lev Uden Vold (Living Without Violence), and so can their accompanying children.

At the same time, women have the right to bring children to shelters. That right does not apply to men’s centers and hostels.

Another significant difference is that women’s shelters specialise in violence, while section-110-shelters is targeted a broader group with other social problems. In women’s shelters, women can thus receive help, support and counseling in relation to violence in particular. This is not necessarily the case at men’s centers and hostels.

A number of women’s shelters and other organisations also offer outpatient counseling to victims of violence and their families. This applies to Danner and Mødrehjælpen, among others.

Sexual domestic violence

Sexual domestic violence is rape and other forms of sexual violence that take place in relationships. Sexual domestic violence is under-illuminated, partly because it is particularly taboo and therefore under-reported. In addition, it often falls between the women’s shelters’ focus on continuous domestic violence and the centers for rape victims’ focus on limited cases of rape.

Read more at Danners about sexual violence in relationships.

Domestic homicide

Every fourth murder in Denmark in the period 1992-2016 was committed by the victim’s partner or ex-partner. Of these, 85 percent of those killed were women. There were an average of 12 domestic homicides during the period. The Danish researchers, Nell Rasmussen and Esther Nørregaard Nielsen, investigated domestic homicide in Denmark from 2009-11 and concluded that in most cases, psychological violence preceded the homicide.

DIGITAL VIOLENCE AND DIGITAL offences

Digital violence and digital offences are used as common terms for various forms of infringing acts that are carried out via digital media. Here are some of the most common terms explained.

Sharing private photos without consent

Typically, images or videos with intimate or sexual content are shared without the consent of the person appearing on the material. The material may be made with or without the person’s consent or by the person themselves. In some cases, the material is shared with the consent of, for example, a girlfriend or as part of a flirtation. Then, of course, it is not considered offensive.

The violation occurs when the material is shared without the person’s consent. No matter how intimate content is made and whether it has been shared before, it is illegal to share it without the consent of the person portrayed.

This kind of digital violation has also been called “revenge porn”, which is misleading because the motive is not always revenge and because the content is not always pornographic.

If the person in the picture or video is over 18 years of age, the sharing can be punished according to § 264 d. ​​The penalty is up to six months’ imprisonment. In particularly aggravating circumstances, the penalty may increase up to three years’ imprisonment. This may be the case, for example, if the material is shared to a particularly large extent.

If it is content of a sexual or pornographic nature, it can be punished according to § 232 on humiliation violations. Here, the penalty is two years if the victim is over 15 years old.

In the case of pornographic content with persons under 18 years of age, it is child pornography, and the penalty is two years’ imprisonment and, in particularly aggravating circumstances, up to six years’ imprisonment.

That was the case in the widely discussed “umbrella case” where more than 300 people were convicted of sharing child pornography. Many received a conditional prison sentence.

Digital flashing

Digital flashing is to send sexual images or videos to someone who has not consented to receiving the material. This applies, for example, to so-called dickpics, which are sent unsolicited.

Digital flashing can be punished according to § 232 on decency violations. Here, the penalty is two years if the victim is over 15 years old and four years if the victim is under 15 years old.

Grooming

Grooming is when an perpetrator builds a relationship with a child or young person in order to commit a sexual assault. This is often done by the abuser manipulating the child over a period of time. It can take place both online and offline.

Sextortion

Sextortion is another word for sexual extortion. It is a form of extortion in which the perpetrator threatens to publish or share intimate photos or videos of the victim. The perpetrator can then pressure the victim to send money or nude photos.

In recent years, there have been cases of so-called hurtcore, where the perpetrator blackmails the victims into committing humiliating acts or harming themselves.