Citation

Pacific TLRHW. Lancet Reg. Health West. Pac. 2021; 17: 100364.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.lanwpc.2021.100364

PMID

35005665

PMCID

PMC8720794

Abstract

On November 26, the UN marked International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women with 16 days of activism. Violence against women is an abhorrent and prevalent health issue. Globally, WHO estimates that one in three women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetimes. Within the Western Pacific region, the lifetime prevalence of IPV in women aged 15-49 years in each country ranges from 11% to 53%. The high risk is particularly pronounced in the region's low-income and middle-income countries, with Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands reporting a prevalence of more than 50% lifetime risk of IPV. Reports of IPV have also increased five-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasising the critical need for domestic violence services and support.

Acts of violence or abuse are incredibly heterogenous and include physical, sexual, psychological, or financial violence. In 1993, the UN defined the term "violence against women" as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life". Clear examples include battery, rape, or genital mutilation. However, many types of violence are harder to identify, especially during lockdowns as a result of the pandemic. These acts can consist of cyber harassment, unwanted sexual advances, or controlling behaviours such as limiting financial access or acts of isolating individuals away from support networks. Across the whole Western Pacific region, 20% of women are reported to experience lifetime IPV. However, these figures do not include the majority of the cases that go unnoticed or unreported due to cultural acceptance, patriarchal ideology, limited resources, or the unwillingness of providers to enforce the laws. Despite the complexity, all forms of violence have dire impacts on the lives of victims...

Language: en