Facts & Figures

Facts and Figures on Violence Against Women

From the aborting of female fetuses to intimate homicide, girls and women may encounter numerous oppressions during infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and as elders. Some of these are confined to one stage in the lifecycle, some continue into subsequent stages.

The Lifetime Spiral reveals patterns of victimization by enumerating the types of violence, vulnerabilities, and harms women and girls face. It also implicitly shows the presence of different abusers located over the lifecourse. A grandmother may withhold nutritious food for a baby girl, a brother may perpetrate incest, a priest may molest a teen girl, a father may insist on a forced marriage, a college student may date rape a classmate, a co-worker may engage in sexual harassment, a husband may batter during pregnancy, a brother- or sister-in-law may stalk, an ex-boyfriend may kill, a community may ostracize homosexuals, a family may silence or shame.

In addition to physical, sexual, economic and emotional abuses; violence is about living in a climate of fear, shame, coercive control, and devaluation. It is often experienced in the context of additional oppressions based on race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, type of labor performed, level of education, class position, disability, and immigration or refugee status. Raising awareness about the historical nature of gender violence confronts victim-blaming, informs advocacy, and empowers survivors.

(See the Lifetime Spiral of Gender Violence in English here)
Source: Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence

FACTS AND FIGURES: ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
UN Women

Globally, an estimated 736 million women—almost one in three—have been subjected to 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. The rates of depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and HIV are higher in women who have experienced violence compared to women who have not, as well as many other health problems that can last even after the violence has ended [1].
Most violence against women is perpetrated by current or former husbands or intimate partners. More than 640 million women aged 15 and older have been subjected to intimate partner violence (26 per cent of women aged 15 and older) [1].
Of those who have been in a relationship, almost one in four adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 (24 per cent) have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner or husband. Sixteen per cent of young women aged 15 to 24 experienced this violence in the past 12 months [1].
In 2018, an estimated one in seven women had experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner or husband in the past 12 months (13 per cent of women aged 15 to 49). These numbers do not reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has increased risk factors for violence against women [1].

(Read more)

DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence

In a face-to-face interview of 1,577 Asians recruited from Asian organizations and gathering places in the greater Houston area in Texas:

22% of Filipino respondents (101 male and female) reported at least one form of intimate partner violence based on the 8-item Conflict Tactics Scale, ranging from “thrown objects at the respondent” to “used a knife or gun on the respondent” during the previous year.
This rate was higher than average partner abuse prevalence rates among Chinese (10%), Indian (20%), Japanese (10%), Korean (20%), and Vietnamese (22%) respondents.

In a paper-and-pencil questionnaire survey of a purposive sample of Filipino college students:*

31% of female respondents reported that they had experienced “physical violence since they started dating, such as being hit, pushed, grabbed, etc.” by an intimate partner.
21% of male respondents reported having experienced any of these types of physical violence by an intimate partner.

* Participants did not identify whether violence occurred in straight or same-sex relationships.

(Read more)

One In Four Women Have Ever Experienced Spousal Violence
(Preliminary results from the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey)
Reference Number: 2018-048
Release Date: Monday, March 26, 2018

Table 1 - Spousal Violence by Background Characteristics
Percentage of ever-married women aged 15-49 who have ever experienced emotional, physical or sexual violence committed by their husband/partner, according to background characteristics
Philippine Statistics Authority - Gender Statistics - Violence Against Women

Based on the preliminary findings of the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), one in four (26%) ever-married women aged 15-49 has ever experienced physical, sexual or emotional violence by their husband or partner. One in five (20%) women has ever experienced emotional violence, 14 percent has ever experienced physical violence, and 5 percent has ever experienced sexual violence by their current or most recent husband or partner.

Table 1 shows the prevalence of different forms of violence experienced by ever-married women 15-49 of age according to background characteristics of women. As observed, the percentage of women who have experienced violence in physical, sexual, and/or emotional form, from their husband declines slightly with women’s age. Women who are divorced, separated, or widowed are more likely to have experienced all forms of violence by their most recent partner compared with women who are married or living together: 53 percent of divorced, separated, or widowed women have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence compared with 24 percent of women who are married or living together.

Women’s experience with violence by a partner varies widely by region: only 7 percent of ever-married women in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao report experiencing physical, sexual, or emotional violence by their last partner compared with 52 percent of ever-married women in Caraga. All forms of violence generally decline with increasing household wealth.

Spousal violence refers to violence perpetrated by partners in a marital union. Since spousal or intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence for women aged 15-49, the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey collected detailed information on the different types of violence experienced. Currently married women were asked about violence perpetrated by their current husband or partner, and formerly married women were asked about violence perpetrated by their most recent husband or partner.

The Republic Act No. 9262 or the “Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004” is one of the Philippine government’s initiative in addressing the issue on violence against women. Under this Act, violence against women is classified as a public crime and penalizes all forms of abuse and violence within the family and intimate relationships.

The NDHS 2017 is a nationally representative survey of almost 31,000 households and 25,000 women aged 15-49. The survey was conducted from 14 August to 27 October 2017. The NDHS 2017 is the eleventh in a series of demographic surveys undertaken in the Philippine since 1968. Funding for the NDHS 2017 was provided by the Government of the Philippines. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided technical assistance and equipment through ICF under the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) program. A comprehensive final report will be disseminated by third quarter of this year.

16 SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
Source: Islamic Relief
Originally published: 7 Dec 2020
Written by Maria Zafar

Here are 16 shocking facts that reveal the horror behind gender-based violence.

1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male partner.
200 million women and girls have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C).
Each year, 15 million girls are married before the age of 18. That is 28 girls every minute.
It is estimated that up to 10 million children are victims of child sexual exploitation.
School-related gender-based violence means that 1 in 4 girls say that they never feel comfortable using a school latrine.
Between 80 and 100 million girls are ‘missing’ from the world’s population – victims of gender-based infanticide, femicide, malnutrition and neglect.
As many as 1 in 4 women experience physical and/or sexual violence during pregnancy.
As many as 150 million girls worldwide are raped or subject to sexual violence each year, usually by someone in their family circle.
Over 700 million women alive today were married as children (under the age of 18).
There are 5,000 so-called honour killings reported every year around the world. Experts estimate that the actual number of “honour” killings is much higher.
30% of females globally have reported that their first sexual experience was forced.
58 % of new HIV infections among young persons in 2015 occurred among adolescent girls and young women. Violence or the threat of violence affect the ability of girls and young women to protect themselves from HIV.
Domestic violence is a global problem that affects 35% of women worldwide.
Globally, around 137 women are killed by their partner or a family member every day.
Women between the ages of 15 and 44 are at a higher risk of rape and domestic violence than cancer, car accidents, malaria or being injured in war.

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