Internationally
Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations, taking place every day, many times over, in every corner of the globe. It has serious short- and long-term physical, economic and psychological consequences on women and girls, preventing their full and equal participation in society.
Gender-based violence is defined as violence that is directed against a woman because she is a woman or that affects women disproportionately. It includes acts that inflict physical, mental or sexual harm or suffering, threats of such acts, coercion and other deprivations of liberty.
FAQs: Types of violence against women and girls | UN Women – Headquarters
Discrimination against women and inequality in the distribution of power and resources between men and women are root causes of violence against women.
An estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life (30 per cent of women aged 15 and older). This figure does not include sexual harassment. Women who have experienced violence are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections and HIV, with long-lasting consequences.
Most violence against women is committed by current or former husbands or intimate partners. More than 640 million women aged 15 and older (26 per cent) have been subjected to intimate partner violence.
Facts and figures: Ending violence against women | UN Women – Headquarters
Women who suffer multiple forms of discrimination face a higher risk of violence and are more vulnerable to its consequences.
Adolescent girls are more at risk of intimate-partner violence than adult women. By the time they are 19 years old, almost 1 in 4 adolescent girls (24 per cent) who have been in a relationship have already been physically, sexually, or psychologically abused by a partner.
Women with disabilities report a higher rate of all forms of intimate partner violence than women without disabilities. A recent review confirmed a strong link between disability and increased risk of violence. A study conducted in the European Union revealed that women with disabilities faced higher risks of experiencing violence, and that the risk was even higher for women with disabilities on a low income.