1 in 3 Women Across the World have Experienced Physical or Sexual Violence

1 in 3 women around the world experience physical or sexual violence, mostly by an intimate partner.

The prevalence estimates of intimate partner violence range from 23.2 percent in high-income countries and 24.6 percent in the WHO Western Pacific region to 37 percent in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, and 37.7 percent in the WHO South-East Asia region.

World Health Organization reports that globally, as many as 38 percents of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners.

In addition to intimate partner violence, globally 7 percent of women report having been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner, although data for non-partner sexual violence are more limited. Intimate partner and sexual violence are mostly perpetrated by men against women.

This makes it the most widespread, but among the least reported human rights abuses. It is prevalent during times of peace and stability, but risks escalate when a crisis strikes.

While data is scarce, studies indicate that gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies is likely to be devastatingly common.

Violence against women is a serious problem in Kenya that affects women and girls from all walks of life. In 2014, the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey published some alarming statistics showing that 44 percent of women reported that they had experienced physical violence by men since turning 15. The worst affected were women aged between 44 to 49 years.

A recent survey in South Sudan, for instance, found that more than half of women with a current or past intimate partner had experienced physical and/or sexual violence, while close to one-third of women reported sexual violence by a non-partner.

In conflicts, women’s bodies too often become battlefields, with violence used to humiliate and oppress. Risks are amplified because women can be uprooted from their homes, and separated from their usual support networks, while social and legal protection systems are weakened or destroyed.

The short and long-term health consequences of violence for women’s health are many and significant. Women who experience violence are a higher risk of injuries, adverse sexual and reproductive health and mental health consequences. 

For example, women who suffer intimate partner violence are twice as likely to experience depression, and 1.5 times more likely to acquire a sexually transmitted infection. It also has health consequences for their children, and socio-economic impacts on the families, communities, and societies.

Women who are abused are more likely to seek healthcare for a variety of related conditions, even if they do not explicitly disclose their experience.  For these reasons, it is crucial to ensure that health workers are appropriately trained to provide effective, empathetic support and that health facilities can provide safe and confidential care.

No matter where in the world we live, we all have stories of how violence against women has affected our lives, someone we know, or in our communities. The theme of this year’s International Day on Elimination of Violence Against Women is #HearMeToo. 

The health system, health care providers and policymakers all have an essential role in ending violence against women; in making sure that survivors are heard; and that the world, even in its darkest corners, is a safer place for women and girls.