Despite increased global attention over violence against fair sex, crimes continue unabated with a new series published in journal The lancet suggesting that globally, one in three women has experienced either physical or sexual violence from their partner.
Painting a dimmer picture, the series, which was launched recently, further said that seven per cent of the women will experience sexual assault by a non-partner at some point in their lives. The series was launched recently on Tuesday
The author of the series has called for greater efforts to prevent violence against women and girls as between 1 crore and 1.4 crore of them worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation (FGM), with more than 3 million girls at risk of the practice every year in Africa alone.
Some 70 million girls worldwide have been married before their eighteenth birthday, many against their will.
Although many countries have made substantial progress towards criminalising violence against women and promoting gender equality, the Series authors argue that governments and donors need to commit sufficient financial resources to ensure their verbal commitments translate into real change.
Even where laws are progressive, many women and girls still suffer discrimination, experience violence, and lack access to vital health and legal services.
We definitely need to strengthen services for women experiencing violence, but to make a real difference in the lives of women and girls, we must work towards achieving gender equality and preventing violence before it even starts, said Series co-lead Professor Charlotte Watts, founding Director of the Gender Violence and Health Centre at the london School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, london.