Ending Violence Against Women

Ending Violence against Women

Violence against girls or women is considered a “Silent Epidemic”. Every second of the day, violence is withering the lives of millions of girls and women around the world. This global crisis is affecting one in three women in their lifetime, withering their lives and rupturing communities. Violence against girls and women has no boundaries of geography or culture. It is a grievous transgression of the fundamental human rights of women and girls and is the common crimes committed against them. Inequalities between men and women are rooted deep down from history. It triggers substantial psychological, physical, social and economic harm to women. Women are facing numerous forms of discrimination and are at greater risk of violence. Discrimination established  on gender identity and sexual orientation stresses on tortures, mutilations, cruelty, killing, rapes, degrading treatment, harassment, abductions and physical and mental assaults.

Facts and figures: Ending violence against women

•Around the globe, almost one in three i.e.; an estimated 736 million women have been gone through physical or sexual intimate partner violence, non- partner sexual violence or both. This numbers does not include sexual harassment. Women who have gone through sexual violence are suffering from depression, anxiety, sexually transmitted infections / HIV or unplanned pregnancies more than women who have not.

•Violence against women is committed by current husbands or intimate partners. 640 million women aged 15 and older has been through intimate partner violence.

•Adolescent girls aged 15 -19 which is 24%, who have been in relationship, have gone through physical / sexual violence from an intimate partner or husband. 

•In 2018, one in seven women had gone through physical /sexual violence from an intimate partner or husband in the past 12 months (13 per cent of women aged 15–49).

•In the world, 81,000 girls and women were killed in 2020, and of which 47,000 women died from the hands of an intimate partner or family member, which equals to girls or women killed at 11 minutes in their home.

Reporting of violence against women:

•Less than 40% of girls and women who experience violence seek help from others. Mostly women or girls look for help from their family or friends. And only 10% of women seek help from the police.

•From 7,487 reports of violence against women 44.6% cases were of threats, 28.5% of aggression, 25.1% of body injury, 1.1% of rape and 0.7% of other type of injury.

Factors Associated With Violence against Women: 

Sexual violence can occur due to many factors at individual, family or community level. Some are associated with perpetrator of violence and some with experiencing violence.

Factors for Violence against women include:

•No or low level of education. 

•Excessive use of Alcohol. 

•Low level of gender equality. 

•Witnessed family violence. 

•History of child maltreatment. 

•Difficulties in communicating between partner. 

•Marital discord or dissatisfaction. 

•Controlling behavior from males towards their partners. 

•Belief in sexual purity. 

•Ideologies of male sexual entitlement. 

People reckon that violence towards girls and women is not their business and some believe that it is even normal. And many people keep silent even when they think that it’s not acceptable. Things have changed in the past and people in the world are standing up and speaking for women. Women Rights Organizations are trying their best to save women from violence. We as a human should say ‘ENOUGH’ to violence against women and girls. This violence not only devastates women’s lives and divides communities, but it also erodes development efforts and the building of strong democracies and just, peaceful societies. Together we can change these harmful beliefs. What is learned can be unlearned.

Writer: Sonu Jain