The free number for victims of domestic violence was dialled on an average of 42 times a day in 2018, La Dernière Heure reported on Monday.
The Belgian phone number "Écoute Violences conjugugales" was dialled 15,360 times in 2018, which is an average of 42 calls per day by victims, medical professionals, concerned relatives or even those who have committed acts of domestic violence.
The number, which has existed since 2009, is used more than ever ten years later.
"Domestic violence is a complex relational process which is characterized by the control of one partner over the other. It is not limited to bruises or blows," the free line’s founder Jean-Louis Simoens said.
The majority of victims (91%) are women. "The perpetrators are mostly men. (...) We are not saying that all men are violent, but this sexist system must be denounced," Simoens added.
The Brussels Times
