Violence against women also took place more often in private settings. Excluding the sexual component, incidents of physical violence against men most often took place in public settings (39 %), and physical violence against women most often took place in their own home (37 %), and was thus less likely to be witnessed by others. Even if witnessed by others, research shows that a small but relevant percentage of people in the EU still consider violence against women (including sexual violence) acceptable and some even blame the victim, which may contribute to under-reporting.
The FRA report also showed that victims often did not report incidents of violence because they did not consider them serious enough to be reported. One in four victims who were injured thought the police would do nothing and 14 % did not trust the police. Three in five people who reported harassment and physical violence to the police were satisfied with the way the police handled the incident, but there was a difference in satisfaction depending on whether the person reporting the crime was a citizen of the country or not (Figure 3). For example, only 42 % of victims of harassment who were not citizens of the country where they live were satisfied with the way police handled the incident, compared with 63 % of those who were citizens of the country where they live.
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