One in ten Dutch LGBTQIA people were victims of violence in 2023

One in ten (10%) LGBTQIA people in the Netherlands were victims of violence in 2023, compared to 6% of the general population, according to new data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS).

According to the data, members of the lesbian, gay, bi-plus, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual communities were also more likely to experience other forms of crime – a quarter (25%) of LGBTQIA people fell victim to traditional crimes, including vandalism, property crimes and violence, compared to 19% of non-LGBTQIA people.

Twice as likely

It also noted that LGBTQIA individuals were twice as likely to experience sexual violence compared to their non-LGBTQIA counterparts.

Among the different LGBTQIA groups, those with a non-binary or genderqueer identity were the most likely to experience violence, according to the data, with 24% being victims of one or more violent crimes last year.

Bi-plus women and homosexual men also reported above average levels of violence, with 13% and 10% affected, respectively.

Emotional impact

Those that were victims of crime were more likely to experience emotional, financial, or physical consequences than non-LGBTQIA victims, according to Statistics Netherlands, with 32% of LGBTQIA victims faced such impacts, compared to 25% of non-LGBTQIA victims.

Elsewhere, more than two fifths (42%) of LGBTQIA individuals reported ‘sometimes feeling unsafe’, while 18% said that they felt unsafe in their own neighbourhoods.

Both percentages were higher than those for the general population, where 34% and 14%, respectively, felt unsafe.

‘In addition, LGBTQIA people are more often afraid of becoming a victim, and they estimate their chance of becoming a victim of, for example, abuse, to be higher than non-LGBTQIA people,’ according to Statistics Netherlands.

The data was revealed as part of Statistics Netherlands’ Safety Monitor report. Read more here.

Read more: Close to a fifth of the Dutch population identifies as LGBTQIA