Study: 70% of Romanians have learned of cases of domestic violence in the last year; only 4% have notified the authorities

Approximately 70% of the Romanians state they found out about domestic violence cases over the last year, but only 4% of them announced the authorities, shows a study made at the request of Vodafone Foundation about the way in which this phenomenon is perceived by the public opinion in Romania.According to the research, 97% of the interviewees condemn physical violence, but 40% do not know about the law which punishes domestic violence.Similarly, 75% of those who assist at episodes of domestic violence choose not to get involved as they consider that it does not concern them or they could breach the intimacy of those involved, and more than half – 52% treat the tensioned situations in the couple superficially, especially if the partners reconcile. For more than half - 54% - of respondents, domestic violence is primarily physical violence: pushing, hitting, and only 16% spontaneously associate domestic violence with any kind of abuse, regardless of its nature.   At the same time, 10% of those questioned admit that they have been or are being subjected to some type of domestic abuse, and almost half of them - 46% - are or have been victims of physical aggression.   In connection to the Romanians’ perception about the family from the perspective of force rapports, the study shows that 60% of the interviewees consider that, traditionally, in Romania, the man leads the family and sometimes he needs to be firm. Alcohol abuse is considered the biggest cause of domestic violence – 35% followed by infidelity – 28%.As regards the eradication of domestic violence, 90% of the participants in the survey consider that the Police is the one that has to intervene in such cases, and the harsh laws and the public information are considered to be the most important mechanisms to reduce the phenomenon. At the same time, almost 40% of the interviewees stated that they do not know about protection orders or a law which punishes domestic violence."The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the phenomenon of domestic violence in Romania and show us how much we need to raise awareness about this phenomenon, given that over 70% of Romanians know victims of such situations, but less than 5% of them choose to get involved. Through education and the promotion of a culture of understanding, we can dismantle the harmful myths that our society is so accustomed to and help victims of domestic violence find the courage to leave abusive relationships. We have been actively involved in this area for 4 years and one of our initiatives is Bright Sky Ro, an important resource of support for victims of domestic violence," said Angela Gale?a, director of the Vodafone Foundation, according to a statement sent on Wednesday. The study was made by D&D Research, between 4 and 18 March, on a representative sample of 1,112 people, women and men aged over 18 from urban and rural environment. The results have a maximum error of 2.9% for a trust interval of 95%.