Source: The Star
Africa has the highest proportion of women reporting physical or sexual violence according to a report by UN Women.

The report  was presented to UN member states by Secretary- General Ban Ki- Moon on Monday during the 20-year review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.

According to the report, 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. 

Africa has the highest proportion of women reporting either physical and/ or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence, at 45.6 per cent, followed by South- East Asia (40.2 per cent), Eastern Mediterranean (36.4 per cent), the Americas (36.1 per cent), Western Pacific (27.9 per cent) and Europe (27.2 per cent).   

In high income countries, 32.7 per cent of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.  

                                              

 

Agencies protesting against Gender Based Violence on August 24,2012. 

The report said although there are variations across regions, all regions have unacceptably high rates of violence against women. Intimate partner violence often leading to injuries and at times death is the most common form of violence experienced by women, the report says.  

The report cites a global study on homicide which estimates that  almost half of female homicide victims are killed by their intimate partner or family members, whereas the figure for men is just over 1 in 20 homicide victims.  Majority of women who experience violence do not seek help or support. 

A study of 42,000 women across 28 UN member state of the European Union found that only one third of victims of partner violence and one quarter of victims of non-partner violence contacted either the police or support services following the most serious incident in only 14 per cent of the cases. 

The report also found that victim-blaming attitudes in Gender Based Violence are widespread across all countries. Data from 37 developing countries show that 21 per cent of women believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she argues with him.

Similarly 27 per cent of women believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife if she neglects the children.  Surveys of men also reveal high levels of acceptance of violence against women. 

The UN said that there is a need for strong and comprehensive legal and policy frameworks which address all forms of violence against women in all countries.