An estimated 81,000 Luxembourg residents have been the victim of physical, psychological or sexual violence over the previous 12 months, the statistics agency Statec stated on 28 December 2022. But they “often remain invisible”. Photo: Sydney Sims/Unsplash

An estimated 81,000 Luxembourg residents have been the victim of physical, psychological or sexual violence over the previous 12 months, the statistics agency Statec stated on 28 December 2022. But they “often remain invisible”. Photo: Sydney Sims/Unsplash

A fifth of grand duchy residents experienced violence in a sample year, but less than 10% of victims contacted the police and less than 20% sought professional support.

Nearly 1 in 5 Luxembourg residents has been a victim of physical, psychological or sexual violence in the past year, according to calculations by the national statistics bureau.

Women were overall more likely to experience violence than men, and 4 times more likely to experience sexual violence, Statec on Wednesday. Men were slightly more likely to experience physical violence.

“Women are much more likely to be attacked by perpetrators from their personal circle, which means they are particularly at risk to suffer repeated violence--a fact that is not reflected in the victimisation rates as they are calculated, which measure prevalence in the population,” Statec noted.

The statistics bureau said that victims of violence “often remain invisible”. More than three-quarters (78%) said they had neither contacted the police nor sought assistance from a medical professional, social support organisation or spiritual advisor.

The overall rate was fairly equal between women (79%) and men (77%). However, men (12%) were twice as likely to contact the police as women (6%). Statec hypothesised that women were less willing to file an official complaint because of personal links with aggressors.

Less than 1 in 6 women and less than 1 in 5 men sought out professional assistance after experiencing violence. However, Statec said “the difference between men and women are not statistically significant.”

Roughly a third of victims said they did not seek help because the attack was “not serious enough”. About a fifth of victims said that seeking assistance “wouldn’t have helped”.

Statec surveyed 5,695 Luxembourg residents, aged 16 to 74, in 2019 and 2020 online and by phone. Respondents could answer in English, French, German, Luxembourgish or Portuguese.

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