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Citation |
Health TLP. Lancet Public Health 2022; 7(1): e1. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2022, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
34995538 |
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Abstract |
2021 marked the 30th anniversary of the campaign against gender-based violence. Violence against women is a global public health issue and one of the world's most prevalent human rights violations. According to WHO's Violence Against Women Prevalence Estimates, 736 million women--almost one in three--have been subjected to intimate partner violence (IPV), non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their life. The UN defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life". Violence against women may take several forms, including IPV, sexual violence, physical violence by relatives, employers, or other individuals, femicides (including murders in the name of honour), cyber violence, trafficking, female genital mutilation, and child marriage. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified violence against women, as documented by the recent report by UN Women. Lockdown measures and disrupted support services have left many women isolated with their abusive partners at home, with tragic consequences. Reports from EU member states indicated a 60% increase in emergency calls about domestic violence during the first months of the pandemic. The Office for National Statistics reported a 6% increase in domestic abuse-related crimes in England and Wales, with the victim being a female in 73% of cases. Language: en |