Sexual violence in Finland
Prevalence
### Prevalence

Estimating the prevalence of sexual violence in Finland is difficult, because a considerable number of assaults go unreported to the police. The several different estimates for the number of rapes occurring in Finland each year are based on research on the victims of the assaults, calls and contacts the Rape Crisis Center Tukinainen has received, and also from police estimates. For example, according to the Rape Crisis Center, they receive 1000–1200 calls and attempted calls each month. People have become more likely to report an assault to the police in recent years.
In 2000, there were 579 cases of rape and 504 cases of sexual assault of a child reported. These numbers have increased significantly since then, and in 2018, there were 1393 cases of rape and 1373 cases of sexual exploitation of a child reported. Younger people are at increased risk of violent victimization. The risk of physical assault is highest between the ages 15 and 34 years.

The [Nordic countries](/wiki/Nordic_countries "Nordic countries") are often praised for their achievements on [gender equality](/wiki/Gender_equality "Gender equality"), but according to a 2012 study by the [European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights](/wiki/European_Union_Agency_for_Fundamental_Rights "European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights") (FRA), 47 percent of women in Finland have experienced physical or sexual violence from anyone at some point since the age of 15\. Out of the 28 [European Union](/wiki/European_Union "European Union") countries that were studied in the survey, only [Danish](/wiki/Denmark "Denmark") women were found to have experienced more. However National Finnish studies and questionnaires performed by *Kansallinen rikosuhritutkimus* (National Crime Survey) have found numbers only close to one eighth of that. The FRA study included being grabbed or shoved by anyone as violence in the results of the questionnaire. In the study, 11 percent of Finnish women said to have experienced sexual violence by a non\-partner, while the EU average for sexual violence by a non\-partner is 6 percent. Furthermore, 11 percent of Finnish women said that they have experienced sexual violence by an intimate partner. This statistic is also higher than the EU average, which is 7 percent. According to a 1998 study by Markku Heiskanen and Minna Piispa one woman in five had at least experienced physical violence once by their present partner. One\-half of those who had been victims of intimate partner violence had suffered some kind of physical injury from the assault, against one\-third of those who had experienced non\-partner violence. Over one out of four women who had lived in a violent couple relationship had sought for help at a shelter, the police, a lawyer's or a legal aid office or other institutions. The violence experienced by the women generally occurred in couple relationships. This study was carried out by taking a systematic sample of 7100 Finnish and Swedish\-speaking women aged 18\- to 74\-year\-olds from the Central Population Register. The [Women Peace and Security Index](/wiki/Women_Peace_and_Security_Index "Women Peace and Security Index") ranks Finland as the fourth safest country for women out of 177, with Denmark as 1st.


What kind of help do women who experience intimate partner violence often seek?