Chapter 27 - Violence against women

Summary

Violence against women is recognized as a significant global problem, a major public health concern, and widespread violations of human rights. Unicef focused on domestic violence (DV) as one of the most prevalent and yet hidden and ignored forms of violence against women and girls globally, and defined this as comprising violence by an intimate partner or other family members, including violence occurring beyond the confines of the home, and across all ages from pregnancy to old age. The World Health Organization (WHO) distinguished intimate-partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV), while recognizing significant overlap between these. This chapter shows that higher rates tend to occur in lower-income countries. A higher risk of violence is found in societies with traditional gender norms and roles, unequal distribution of power and resources between men and women, a normative use of violence to resolve conflicts, and cultural approval of violence against women.