A third of women in the European Union have experienced violence in their life. An EU survey on basic human rights found that around 62 million women over the age of 15 have experienced violence. The EU interviewed 42,000 women. They talked about about violence at home and at work. This included rape, stalking, sexual harassment and online bullying. The survey found that 22 per cent of women suffered from violence by a husband or boyfriend. It also found that 67 per cent of women did not report serious domestic violence to the police.

The EU said that laws must change to protect women. They want to make domestic violence a crime. Police in many countries cannot stop domestic violence because it happens in the home. The survey's author said violence against women shows there is a lot of human rights abuses in EU countries. He said no one should ignore this. Violence against women is a huge problem that affects everyone. He added: "Violence against women does not just impact a few women only. It impacts on society every day." He also said there was a strong link between alcohol and violence.