Estimates published by WHO (World Health Organisation) indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation that continues to be perpetuated in every country. The United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” The UN also states that violence against women is preventable, the health sector has an important role to play to provide any sort of support services women may need and it is also key to understand risk factors such as lower levels of education, lower incomes, having witnessed violence in the past or harmful use of substances like alcohol.
Many campaigns around the world have been launched around that terrible data to raise awareness. We want to share here one made by the UN which gathers important facts that everyone should know. The interactive platform allows you to explore the different forms of violence against women. Gender-based violence can manifest itself in physical, sexual and psychological forms.