Key Findings of WHO study:
- 35% women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
- The violence ranges from 23.2% in high-income countries and 24.6% in the WHO Western Pacific region to 37% in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region.
- Intimate partner violence is the highest at 37.7% in the WHO South-East Asia region (which includes India).
- 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate partner.
Reasons:
- Men are more likely to perpetrate violence if: they have low education, a history of child maltreatment, exposure to domestic violence against their mothers, harmful use of alcohol and a sense of entitlement over women.
- Women are more likely to experience intimate partner violence if: they have low education, exposure to mothers being abused by a partner, abuse during childhood, and attitudes accepting violence, male privilege and women’s subordinate status.
Impact:
- Violence against women — particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence — can negatively affect a woman’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.
