Nearly one-third of women worldwide faced partner or sexual violence: WHO

According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly one in three women have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetimes, or about 840 million of them.

Additionally, according to data released on Wednesday, 316 million women and girls between the ages of 15 and older have been sexually or physically abused by an intimate partner in the last year.

That accounts for roughly 11 percent of the global population of women and girls in that age range.

In a statement that came with the findings, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “violence against women is one of humanity’s oldest and most pervasive injustices yet it is still one of the least acted upon.”

“Half of the population lives in fear, so no society can describe itself as fair, safe, or healthy.” It is also a matter of dignity, equality, and human rights that must be put an end to this violence. A woman or girl has had her life forever altered, hidden behind every statistic.

The WHO report looked at data from 168 nations collected between 2000 and 2023 before it was released in advance of the UN’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls later this month.

Despite the alarming findings, the UN agency cautioned that efforts to address the issue are “critically underfunded” despite the fact that violence against women is still “a deeply neglected crisis.”

In 2022, only 0.2% of the world’s aid was designated for programs aimed at preventing violence against women.

According to the report, Donald Trump, president of the United States, has cut his country’s contributions to development and foreign aid, furthering that trend.

Additionally, the WHO cautioned against encountering intimate partner and sexual violence in women and girls living in conflict zones or other vulnerable areas.

The report stated that the rising number of armed conflicts, protracted crises, environmental degradation, and disasters have highlighted the rising threat of violence against women living in these fragile environments.