1 in 3 women abused - UN report

2006-10-11 09:12

New York - Violence against women is "severe and pervasive" around the world, with at least one in three women subjected to intimate partner abuse during her lifetime, according to a UN report released on Tuesday.

"There is compelling evidence that violence against women is severe and pervasive throughout the world," said UN chief Kofi Annan's report titled 'Ending violence against women: from words to action'.

The study cited surveys on violence against women conducted in at least 71 countries showing that "a significant proportion of women suffer physical, sexual or psychological violence...On average, at least one in three women is subjected to intimate partner violence in the course of her lifetime".

Sexual violence

A World Health Organisation study in 11 countries found that the percentage of women subjected to sexual violence by an intimate partner ranged between six percent in Japan and Serbia and Montenegro, and 59% in Ethiopia.

Murders of women often involve sexual violence, with between 40% and 70% of female murder victims killed by husbands or boyfriends in Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa and the United States, Annan's report said.

Genital mutilation

It noted that more than 130 million girls have had to go through female genital mutilation, a practice most prevalent in Africa and some Middle Eastern countries but also found in immigrant communities in Europe, North America and the Australia.

Female infanticide, prenatal sex selection and systematic neglect of girls were said to be widespread in south and southeast Asia, North Africa and the Middle East.

Harassment

The study also highlighted the fact that women experience sexual harassment throughout their lives, with between 40% and 50% of women in the European Union reporting some form of sexual harassment.

- AFP