Violence against women common in Eastern Europe: OSCE

By Dilara Hamit</p> <p>ANKARA (AA) – Nearly 16 million women in Eastern Europe have experienced violence and abuse, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported Wednesday.</p> <p>The survey results from eight countries found that 70 percent of women age 18-74 have experienced some form of sexual harassment, stalking, intimate partner violence, or non-partner violence since the age of 15.</p> <p>&quot;45 percent of women, or approximately 10.2 million women, have experienced sexual harassment, including harassment via the Internet,&quot; said the OSCE report.</p> <p>Roughly 4.4 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from non-partners, while around 4.9 million have experienced it from partners, it said.</p> <p>Psychological violence is the most widespread form of intimate partner violence reported in the survey, with 60 percent of women who have been in a relationship experiencing this from a partner, it said.</p> <p>According to the report, some groups of women are at a higher risk, including women who are poorer, economically dependent, or childbearing.</p> <p>&quot;Based on the data gathered, it is clear that women do not report the vast majority of incidents to the police and that they rarely seek support from other institutions,&quot; the report said.</p> <p>OSCE Secretary-General Thomas Greminger said violence against women in the surveyed area should not be overlooked any longer. </p> <p>&quot;Ultimately, we need to use the results to achieve specific policy goals,” he urged, including “reduced violence against women, improved services for survivors and greater security for women and girls overall.&quot; </p> <p>The OSCE report was based on interviews in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Kosovo.</p> <p>