A third of women in Europe have suffered a physical or sexual assault and 5 per cent have been raped, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) revealed yesterday.

The agency said it had uncovered "extensive human rights abuse" throughout the EU.

Just over one in 10 women experienced some form of sexual violence by an adult before they were 15 years old.

"Physical, sexual and psychological violence against women is an extensive human rights abuse in all EU member states," said FRA director Morten Kjaerum.

One in 10 women had experienced some form of sexual violence since the age of 15, one in 20 has been raped and just over one in five had experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or previous partner, the large-scale survey revealed.

Mr Kjaerum called for measures tackling violence against women "to be taken to a new level now."

The FRA, which interviewed 42,000 women aged 18-74 across the 28-state bloc for the report, said it was the most comprehensive of its kind to date both in the EU and worldwide.

"What emerges is a picture of extensive abuse that affects many women's lives but is systematically under-reported," Mr Kjaerum said.

The FRA probed women's experiences of physical, sexual and psychological violence including domestic abuse as well as stalking and sexual harassment.

"Yet, as an illustration, only 14 per cent of women reported their most serious incident of intimate partner violence and only 13 per cent reported their most serious incident of non-partner violence to the police," he added.

Mr Kjaerum warned that the EU "cannot afford to overlook" violence against women.

The emotional and psychological consequences of physical and sexual violence "can be long-lasting and deep-seated," he said.

Over a fifth of the victims of sexual violence suffered from panic attacks, over a third became depressed and 43 per cent experienced difficulty in relationships as a result.