WUNRN
GLOBAL & REGIONAL ESTIMATES OF
THE PREVALENCE & HEALTH EFFECTS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE &
NON-PARTNER SEXUAL VIOLENCE
"This report presents the first global systematic
review of scientific data on the prevalence of two forms of violence against
women: violence by an intimate partner (intimate partner violence) and sexual
violence by someone other than a partner (non-partner sexual violence)."
Authors:
WHO, Department of Reproductive Health and Research
Publication details
Number of pages: 51
Publication date: 2013
Languages: English
- Full report
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- Prevalence
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- Health impact
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- Guidelines for health sector response
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- Health-care worker intervention
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The
report, developed by the World Health Organization, the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council,
presents the first global systematic review of scientific data on the
prevalence of two forms of violence against women: violence by an intimate
partner (intimate partner violence) and sexual violence by someone other than a
partner (non-partner sexual violence).
It shows, for the first time, global and regional
estimates of the prevalence of these two forms of violence, using data from
around the world. Previous reporting on violence against women has not
differentiated between partner- and non-partner violence.
The report details the effects of partner and
non-partner sexual violence on several aspects of women’s health. It shows that
women who have experienced intimate partner violence have higher rates of
depression, HIV, injury and death, and are more likely to have low birth weight
babies, than those who haven’t. Though research on the health effects of
non-partner sexual violence is more limited, the evidence clearly shows that
sexual violence has both long- and short-term debilitating effects on women’s
mental health and well-being.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22975103
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WORLDWIDE IS
"EPIDEMIC"
20 June 2013 - More
than one in three women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence,
a report by the World Health Organization and other groups says.
It says 38% of all women murdered were killed by their
partners, and such violence is a major contributor to depression and other
health problems.
WHO head Margaret Chan said violence against women was
"a global health problem of epidemic proportions".
The study also calls for toleration of such attacks
worldwide to be halted.
And it says new guidelines must be adopted by health
officials around the world to prevent the abuse and offer better protection to
victims.
'Fear of stigma'
The report on partner and non-partner violence against
women was released by the WHO, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical
Medicine (LSHTM) and the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).
Its authors say it is the first systematic study of
global data, detailing the impact of the abuse on both the physical and mental
health of women and girls.
The key findings are:
- violence by an intimate partner is the most
common type of abuse, affecting 30% of women across the globe
- 38% of all women murdered were killed by their
partners
- 42% of women physically or sexually abused by
partners had injuries as a result
- Victims of non-partner attacks were 2.6 times
more likely to experience depression and anxiety compared with women who
had not experienced violence
- Those abused by their partners were almost twice
as likely to have similar problems
- Victims were more likely to have alcohol
problems, abortions and acquire sexually transmitted diseases and HIV
"This new data shows that violence against women
is extremely common," said report co-author Prof Charlotte Watts from the
LSHTM.
"We urgently need to invest in prevention to
address the underlying causes of this global women's health problem."
The document adds that "fear of stigma"
prevents many women from reporting sexual violence.
It stresses that health officials around the world
need to take the issue "more seriously", providing better training
for health workers in recognising when women may be at risk of violence and
ensuring an appropriate response.
The WHO says it will start implementing new guidelines
together with other organisations at the end of June.
Women who have suffered violence from a partner (%)
|
|
|
WHO region |
Prevalence |
|
Source: WHO, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, South African Medical Research Council |
|
|
Low and middle-income regions |
|
|
AFRICA (Botswana, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe) |
36.6% |
|
AMERICAS (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Bolivia) |
29.8% |
|
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestinian territories) |
37.0% |
|
EUROPE (Albania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Lithuania, Rep of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine) |
25.4% |
|
SOUTH-EAST ASIA (Bangladesh, East Timor, India, Burma, Sri Lanka, Thailand) |
37.7% |
|
WESTERN PACIFIC (Cambodia, China, Philippines, Samoa, Vietnam) |
24.6% |
|
High income(Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, US) |
23.2% |