130,000 people suffer domestic violence in 2017

About 130000 people in the country were victims of domestic violence in 2017. Among them the number of women is almost double compared to the number of men, said the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

A THL report published on Thursday said about 4.8 per cent of the country’s women and 2.5 per cent of the men aged between 15 years and 74 years faced domestic violence during the last year, said a press release.

It also said that the number of domestic violence victims is increasing or persuaded to reach out to the state helpline or shelter for support. The round-the-clock helpline, Nollalinja, received about 8,000 calls last year.

The report, however, said that many incidents of domestic violence remained unknown.

The report also said that more people sought protection at Mother and Child Homes and Shelter and the number increased by 23 per cent in 2017 year on year.

“The number of helpline calls increased significantly as the new service has become known to people due to campaigning. The increased number of places offered by shelters and their free-of-cost services can be seen in the growing number of customers,” said THL Senior Researcher Johanna Hietamäki.