Violence Against Women Has Likely Increased During The Pandemic
Even as other crimes such as homicides are declining across the world, violence against women continues. A new report by the World Health Organization shows that 1 in 3 women (around 736 million) around the world have been subjected to physical or sexual violence… a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.
Which women are most vulnerable to acts of violence?
Young women:
1 in 4 young women (aged 15-24 years) who have been in a relationship will have already experienced violence by an intimate partner by the time they reach their mid-twenties. What’s even more tragic about this number is that many of these women are young mothers, which means that the violence affects both the women and their children.
Women in relationships:
By far, the largest percentage of women who reported violent incidents were in an intimate relationship. 641 million women around the world have experienced violence from their partners. While the percentage of women who reported being sexually assaulted by someone other than their husband or partner is smaller (6% globally), it’s likely that this number is much higher considering the stigma and under-reporting of sexual abuse.
Women living in poverty
There is a strong link between poverty and abuse. In fact, an estimated 37% of women living in the poorest countries have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence in their life. In some of these countries, the number is as high as 50%.
How has COVID affected the way women are treated?
While the data has not yet been fully collected, there is a strong likelihood that the stay-at-home orders necessitated by the pandemic increased cases of violence towards women.
“We know that the multiple impacts of COVID-19 have triggered a “shadow pandemic” of increased reported violence of all kinds against women and girls,” said UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
How can we prevent violence against women?
Violence against women, in all its forms, has been associated with increased risk of injuries, depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually-transmitted infections, and many other health problems. These issues affect women both in the short and long term and ripple outward to society as a whole, impacting relationships, overall development, and even the national budget.
To combat this epidemic of violence, major systemic changes are necessary. Economic and social inequalities, safe access to education and work, and discriminatory gender norms and institutions all need to be addressed. The WHO recommends the following initiatives:
Sound gender transformative policies, from policies around childcare to equal pay, and laws that support gender equality,
A strengthened health system response that ensures access to survivor-centred care and referral to other services as needed,
School and educational interventions to challenge discriminatory attitudes and beliefs, including comprehensive sexuality education,
Targeted investment in sustainable and effective evidence-based prevention strategies at local, national, regional and global levels, and
Strengthening data collection and investing in high quality surveys on violence against women and improving measurement of the different forms of violence experienced by women, including those who are most marginalized.
While both COVID and violence against women are endemic all across the world, as Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General notes, “Unlike COVID-19, violence against women cannot be stopped with a vaccine. We can only fight it with deep-rooted and sustained efforts – by governments, communities and individuals – to change harmful attitudes, improve access to opportunities and services for women and girls, and foster healthy and mutually respectful relationships.”