More than one in ten people say they are victims of psychological violence from their partner. Men are not spared, and separation is not always the solution.
Insults, limited access to the wallet, threats… Psychological violence has many faces. For people in a relationship, they are not uncommon. As revealed by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), 13% of women are affected. Men are not spared, however: 10% of them claim to be victims of verbal assault.
Under the influence of alcohol
Several factors favor the emergence of psychological violence and verbal aggression: with age and unemployment, these events tend to occur more. In one in five cases, the partner who gave the insults and threats was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
A separation does not help the situation: the risk of being a victim of his ex-spouse is tripled compared to the couple. Here too, women are more affected.
Apart from these discriminating factors, a large part of the population says it is concerned by psychological damage of various kinds. From criticism to reading the mail, through threats and acts of control – such as the destruction of identity papers – there are many signs of violence.
Source : Insee
The double penalty
Most often, psychological violence is combined. Insults and acts of control often occur in combination. For 95% of the women and 89% of the men victims, the insults are accompanied by another form of aggression.
There are also many people who say they face double the penalty. First the object of physical or sexual violence, they must then endure the psychological and verbal attacks of their spouse. This situation often arises since 80% of women and 60% of men declare it.
In order to fight against these attacks, the government has launched an information campaign. “The law protects you”, details the dedicated site. It specifies the forms of violence that can give rise to legal proceedings, the interveners to contact.
Source : Insee
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