Third of women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence

[News_Editor]

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (BNO NEWS) -- More than a third of all women worldwide have experienced either physical or sexual abuse, posing a global health problem of epidemic proportions, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report that calls for increased efforts to combat the problem.

The study, conducted in partnership with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council, found that intimate partner violence is the most common type of violence against women, affecting approximately 30 percent of women worldwide.

"This new data shows that violence against women is extremely common. We urgently need to invest in prevention to address the underlying causes of this global women's health problem," said Professor Charlotte Watts from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

According to the study, 38 percent of all women who were murdered were killed by their intimate partners, and 42 percent of women who have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner had experienced injuries as a result. It is also a major contributor to women's mental health problems.

Women who have experienced partner violence are almost twice as likely to experience depression compared to women who have not experienced any violence. Women experiencing intimate partner violence are also almost twice as likely as other women to have alcohol-use problems.

"These findings send a powerful message that violence against women is a global health problem of epidemic proportions," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan. "We also see that the world's health systems can and must do more for women who experience violence."

The report called for a major scaling up of global efforts to prevent all kinds of violence against women by addressing the social and cultural factors behind it, and emphasized the need for better care for women who have experienced such violence. It added that victims often seek health-care, but do not always disclose the true cause of their injuries or ill-health.

âThe report findings show that violence greatly increases women's vulnerability to a range of short- and long-term health problems; it highlights the need for the health sector to take violence against women more seriously," said Dr Claudia Garcia-Moreno of WHO. "In many cases this is because health workers simply do not know how to respond."

New WHO clinical and policy guidelines released on Thursday aim to address this lack of knowledge. They stress the importance of training all levels of health workers to recognize when women may be at risk of partner violence and to know how to provide an appropriate response.

They also point out that some health-care settings, such as antenatal services and HIV testing, may provide opportunities to support survivors of violence, provided certain minimum requirements are met. This includes training health care providers how to ask about violence, consultations taking place in a private setting, and a guarantee of confidentiality.

The WHO said it will begin working with countries in South-East Asia at the end of this month to begin implementing the new recommendations. The organization will partner with ministries of health, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and sister United Nations agencies to disseminate the guidelines, and support their adaptation and use.

(Copyright 2013 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved. Info: [email protected].)

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Just wondering.

What percentage of men have suffered physical or sexual abuse?

I'm thinking that violence in relationships is endemic, just asking one partner in a survey is extremely suspect.

As a man I have suffered physical abuse in 3 out of 4 long term relationships. So I'm thinking very common.

Edited June 21, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[Scott]

It may be a problem, but what is it being compared to?

[Baerboxer]

Just wondering.

What percentage of men have suffered physical or sexual abuse?

I'm thinking that violence in relationships is endemic, just asking one partner in a survey is extremely suspect.

As a man I have suffered physical abuse in 3 out of 4 long term relationships. So I'm thinking very common.

Fair point.

What % of violence and sexual abuse is from partners as opposed to strangers. What % carried out by females on other females.

Some of the worst attacks I saw in night clubs were females on other females - much nastier than many male confrontations.

[jpduggan]

I think over half of the men worldwide have experienced phychological or physical abuse !!!!!

[Potosi]

Just wondering.

What percentage of men have suffered physical or sexual abuse?

I'm thinking that violence in relationships is endemic, just asking one partner in a survey is extremely suspect.

As a man I have suffered physical abuse in 3 out of 4 long term relationships. So I'm thinking very common. I'm not sure there is a man alive who never suffered

If you don't restrict it to relationships, 100%? That's the way it is within a predatory and competitive species.

[Suradit69]

Just wondering.

What percentage of men have suffered physical or sexual abuse?

I'm thinking that violence in relationships is endemic, just asking one partner in a survey is extremely suspect.

As a man I have suffered physical abuse in 3 out of 4 long term relationships. So I'm thinking very common.

"What percentage of men have suffered physical or sexual abuse?"

Not sure about the sexual, but I would consider those who were killed, maimed, traumatized and left with more or less permanent mental, physical & emotional handicaps from service in the military to be overwhelmingly men and quite often men conscripted against their will.

[F430murci]

Just wondering.

What percentage of men have suffered physical or sexual abuse?

I'm thinking that violence in relationships is endemic, just asking one partner in a survey is extremely suspect.

As a man I have suffered physical abuse in 3 out of 4 long term relationships. So I'm thinking very common.

Really? I have had one girlfriend hit me in my life, but I was drunk and dog cussing her so I perhaps deserved it and it did not hurt. Are these Thai girls kicking your ass?

[Angeledge777]

What can we do? Jail them or just give everybody on this planet the right to defend themselves by allowing them to open carry?

[FDog]

In my view most men suffer psychological abuse by their partners but are too afraid to report it or just don't think it is that big a deal to worry about it.

[Loptr]

I would like to know just how the WHO came to these statistics. 30% of all females on the planet have been abused? Personally, I don't think so. Sounds like just another NGO inflating numbers to justify their existence.

What was their sampling group?

What cross-sections of cultures did they poll?

Who did the polling?

How many women did they poll?

What economic base were these women a member of, low, middle, high?

I am long past the point of believing what is in the media without substantiation. These days I don't believe anything I hear and only half of what I see.

[Chris Lawrence]

The report may be very accurate, but does not take into account the violence against males.

Working in Drug and Alcohol, I met a number of gentleman that were physically, sexually and tormented during a time when they should have been protected by the state.

Reports like this by not including the whole population, does not support men or boys abused. Therefor the same level of treatment by the state a woman gets a male will miss out on. I am not saying a women in stress doesn't deserve what is on offer.

It becomes difficult for a male to identify what constitutes domestic violence, as it does not always come as physical violence. Domestic violence can present in many forms.

The other fact is that the state can actually participate in further discrimination against the partner that is removed from the family. What I mean here is access to children and contribution to their upbringing.

I think this is a worthwhile topic but excluding the other side (males), it really doesn't present a true and correct overview on what violence does in our society.

Try ringing your local health service and ask if they have programs for violent women. I did this about 15 years ago and was told that these programs were only for males.

Who has the highest suicide levels. Older males.

[CBR250]

The WHO and their accomplices are playing out a script on violence-against-women that has been running for years. It is based on spurious "research" that is cherry picked - those many studies showing mutual violence in relationship are ignored, as is data showing men are far more likely to be victims of violence.

And I totally agree with the point about military violence against men. In Australia, we acknowledge our fallen men and women - quite rightly. But it is rarely noted that in WW1, over 50,000 young Australian men died (over 150,000 suffered severe injuries). And 42 women died. Ditto WW2 and Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan.

The WHO also doesn't bother mentioning that deaths from industrial neglect and related "accidents" runs at 9:1 in favour of males being killed by this "industrial violence".

Sadly, the WHO seems to have been taken over by career feminists. They are not particularly interested in truth, but rather in promoting their ideology to keep their highly paid careers in the international Violence Against Women scam.

If you want to see some real data, check out a website called one-in-three (Australia).

[kevvy]

I think over half of the men worldwide have experienced phychological or physical abuse !!!!!

every man in the world gets abuse ...once every month

[manarak]

Just wondering.

What percentage of men have suffered physical or sexual abuse?

I'm thinking that violence in relationships is endemic, just asking one partner in a survey is extremely suspect.

As a man I have suffered physical abuse in 3 out of 4 long term relationships. So I'm thinking very common.

I guess the article is more directed towards men in less evolved countries, but sadly it will just serve as a reinforcement of the whippage of men in western societies.

[cup-O-coffee]

...and implied by the headline: "Two Thirds of Men Worldwide Have Experienced Physical or Sexual Violence"

[F430murci]

The WHO and their accomplices are playing out a script on violence-against-women that has been running for years. It is based on spurious "research" that is cherry picked - those many studies showing mutual violence in relationship are ignored, as is data showing men are far more likely to be victims of violence.

And I totally agree with the point about military violence against men. In Australia, we acknowledge our fallen men and women - quite rightly. But it is rarely noted that in WW1, over 50,000 young Australian men died (over 150,000 suffered severe injuries). And 42 women died. Ditto WW2 and Vietnam and Iraq and Afghanistan.

The WHO also doesn't bother mentioning that deaths from industrial neglect and related "accidents" runs at 9:1 in favour of males being killed by this "industrial violence".

Sadly, the WHO seems to have been taken over by career feminists. They are not particularly interested in truth, but rather in promoting their ideology to keep their highly paid careers in the international Violence Against Women scam.

If you want to see some real data, check out a website called one-in-three (Australia).

Okay, but who cares if statistics are skewed. Don't women deserve to be protected. That should be more important that what some is paid or not paid to do a study.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Okay, but who cares if statistics are skewed. Don't women deserve to be protected. That should be more important that what some is paid or not paid to do a study.

Doesn't everyone deserve to be protected?

At the extremes, why should a young physically fit woman be specially protected, and an elderly helpless man not be protected?

But this isn't about protection, this is about men = evil, women = good.

And remember they haven't stated what counts as violence in this survey.

Edited June 23, 2013 by AnotherOneAmerican

[F430murci]

Okay, but who cares if statistics are skewed. Don't women deserve to be protected. That should be more important that what some is paid or not paid to do a study.

Doesn't everyone deserve to be protected?

At the extremes, why should a young physically fit woman be specially protected, and an elderly helpless man not be protected?

But this isn't about protection, this is about men = evil, women = good.

And remember they haven't stated what counts as violence in this survey.

Of course they do. You cut out post I was responding to so you apparently did not understand the context. We should not need surveys or statistics to appreciate a duty to protect everyone.

Apparently young fit women are prime targets for rape and sexual battery. I would think old people would not be. There are also elderly abuse and protection statues that offer enhanced sentences due to the victim being particularly vulnerable.

Men equal evil. I am a man and I don't read that into it. Pervert hard up rapist and women beaters are evil . . . and pussies on top of that.

Edited June 23, 2013 by F430murci

[Chris Lawrence]

Okay, but who cares if statistics are skewed. Don't women deserve to be protected. That should be more important that what some is paid or not paid to do a study.

Doesn't everyone deserve to be protected?

At the extremes, why should a young physically fit woman be specially protected, and an elderly helpless man not be protected?

But this isn't about protection, this is about men = evil, women = good.

And remember they haven't stated what counts as violence in this survey.

Of course they do. You cut out post I was responding to so you apparently did not understand the context. We should not need surveys or statistics to appreciate a duty to protect everyone.

Apparently young fit women are prime targets for rape and sexual battery. I would think old people would not be. There are also elderly abuse and protection statues that offer enhanced sentences due to the victim being particularly vulnerable.

Men equal evil. I am a man and I don't read that into it. Pervert hard up rapist and women beaters are evil . . . and pussies on top of that.

Adolescent males are also targets and happens a lot more than is reported. When counseling occurs males find it hard to open up about these attacks and many times believe they are responsible.

A lot of males do not have the support when domestic battery occurs, therefore do not get the skills to deal with the problem. The outcome for not knowing is that this type of battery goes unreported. In most western countries the underlying premise is to keep the male working and the children be given to the female. For males this can serve as a reinforcement by the state that the DV was the males fault.

Battery is just not a physical occurrence. Battery manifests in many forms and over time can destroy the person.

It is a difficult subject to put in a few lines. Of course females have had the wrong end of the court/financial process for many years. As this process is changing it is fair to include all society in this terrible occurrence.

Although this report appears to be worldwide, there are some societies that still abuse women and children.

The other problem with the report, as it does not include all society is that it contains a bias. Reports like these are used to promote funding applications.