Gender: gender-based violence data

Gender-based violence covers a range of violence and abuse that includes domestic abuse, rape, sexual assault, harassment, commercial sexual exploitation and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation.  It is committed disproportionately by men against women; in 2017/18 around 4 out of 5 incidents of domestic abuse incidents reported to the police had a female victim and a male perpetrator (where gender information was known) (Domestic abuse in Scotland: 2017 - 2018 statistics).  Women are more likely to experience many forms of abuse including stalking, harassment, partner abuse, sexual harassment and serious sexual assault (Scottish Crime and Justice Survey; supplementary tables).

Gender-based violence is a major public health problem, having a profound and enduring impact on physical, sexual and mental health, and on health risk behaviour. For example, an international study found an association between women experiencing domestic abuse and anxiety, depression and alcohol problems (Experiences of domestic violence and mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis), but the lack of longitudinal data made it difficult to investigate causality.  In Scotland gender-based violence is being tackled through a national programme of work in the NHS and via the Scottish Government’s violence against women and girls strategy, Equally Safe. 

More information on gender-based violence, including a range of key facts, can be found at the relevant pages of NHS Health Scotland’s website.