Violence against Women 29 November 2017

Key facts

 Violence against women – particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence – is
a major public health problem and a violation of women's human rights.
 Global estimates published by WHO indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of women
worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or
non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
 Most of this violence is intimate partner violence. Worldwide, almost one third (30%) of
women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of
physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner in their lifetime.
 Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male intimate
partner.
 Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive
health, and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.
 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, unequal gender norms including attitudes accepting of violence, 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.
 There is evidence that advocacy and empowerment counselling interventions, as well
as home visitation are promising in preventing or reducing intimate partner violence
against women.
 Situations of conflict, post conflict and displacement may exacerbate existing violence,
such as by intimate partners, as well as and non-partner sexual violence, and may also
lead to new forms of violence against women.

Scope of the problem

Population-level surveys based on reports from victims provide the most accurate estimates of the
prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual violence. A 2013 analysis conduct by WHO with
the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the South Africa Medical Research Council,
used existing data from over 80 countries and found that worldwide, 1 in 3, or 35%, of women have
experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner or non-partner sexual
violence (3).

Almost one third (30%) of all women who have been in a relationship have experienced physical
and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. The prevalence estimates of intimate partner
violence range from 23.2% in high-income countries and 24.6% in the WHO Western Pacific region to
37% in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region, and 37.7% in the WHO South-East Asia region.

Globally as many as 38% of all murders of women are committed by intimate partners. In addition to
intimate partner violence, globally 7% 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.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women

Against women
According to various national surveys, the percentage of women who were ever physically assaulted by an intimate
partner varies substantially by country: Barbados (30%), Canada (29%), Egypt (34%), New
Zealand (35%), Switzerland (21%), United States (33%).[11][12] Some surveys in specific places report figures as high
as 50–70% of women who were ever physically assaulted by an intimate partner.[11] Others, including surveys in
the Philippines and Paraguay, report figures as low as 10%.[11]

In India, around 20% of women are victims of domestic violence.[13][14]

Statistics published in 2004, show that the rate of domestic violence victimisation for Indigenous women in Australia
may be 40 times the rate for non-Indigenous women.[15]
South Africa is said to have the highest statistics of gender-based violence in the world, including rape and domestic
violence (Foster 1999; The Integrated Regional Network [IRIN], Johannesburg, South Africa, May 25, 2002).[16] 80%
of women surveyed in rural Egyptsaid that beatings were common and often justified, particularly if the woman
refused to have sex with her husband.[17] Up to two-thirds of women in certain communities in Nigeria's Lagos
State say they are victims to domestic violence.[18]
In Turkey 42% of women over 15 have suffered physical or sexual violence[19]
Between 1993 and 2001, U.S. women reported intimate partner violence almost seven times more frequently than
men (a ratio of 20:3).[20] Statistics for the year 1994 showed that more than five times as many females reported
being victimized by an intimate than did males.[21]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidemiology_of_domestic_violence

20 Alarming Domestic Violence Statistics for 2018

Every year, more than 10 million men and women in the US are subjected to Domestic Violence. Its
impact can be felt far and wide:

1. More than 1 in 3 women (35.6%) and more than 1 in 4 men (28.5%) in the U.S. report
having experienced rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner in their
lifetime. (source)
2. Nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States.
During one year, this adds up to more than 10 million women and men. (source)
3. Nearly 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced severe physical violence by an intimate
partner during their lifetime. (source)
4. Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime. (source)
5. In 15 states, more than 40% of all homicides of women in each state involved intimate partner
violence. (source)
6. 85% of domestic violence victims are female, and 15% are male. (source)
7. Women with disabilities have a 40% greater risk of intimate partner violence, especially severe
violence, than women without disabilities. (source)
8. 2 in 5 gay or bisexual men will experience intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. (source)
9. Approximately 63% of homeless women have experienced domestic violence in their adult
lives. (source)
10. 28% of families were homeless because of domestic violence. (source)
11. Nearly half of all women and men in the US will experience psychological aggression by an
intimate partner in their lifetime. (source)
12. Approximately 5 million children are exposed to domestic violence every year. Children exposed
are more likely to attempt suicide, abuse drugs and alcohol, run away from home, engage in
teenage prostitution, and commit sexual assault crimes. (source)
 13. 40% of The Center for Violence-Free Relationships’ domestic violence cases have children under
18 in the home. (source)
14. Nationally, 50% of batterers who abuse their intimate partners also abuse their children. (source)
15. Worldwide, men who were exposed to domestic violence as children are 3-4x more likely to
perpetrate intimate partner violence as adults.(source)
16. 81% of women and 35% of men who experienced rape, stalking, or physical violence by an
intimate partner reported significant short- or long-term impact such as post-traumatic stress
disorder symptoms and injury. (source)
17. 4% of high school students report being hit, slapped, or physically hurt on purpose by their
boyfriend or girlfriend in the last 12 months. (source)
18. Only 1 out of 3 people who are injured during a domestic violence incident will ever receive
medical care for their injuries. (source)
19. Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to police. (source)
20. Men who are victimized are substantially less likely than women to report their situation to
police. (source)

https://www.socialsolutions.com/blog/domestic-violence-statistics-2018/