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International Perspectives on Domestic Violence

In 2005, the first-ever WHO study on domestic violence revealed that intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence in women’s lives—much more so than assault or rape by strangers or acquaintances. "This study shows that women are more at risk from violence at home than in the street and this has serious repercussions for women's health," said Dr LEE Jong-wook, Director-General of WHO at the study release in Geneva. "The study also shows how important it is to shine a spotlight on domestic violence globally and treat it as a major public health issue."

The study's findings make clear the harsh reality of domestic violence:

• Although pregnancy is often thought of as a time when women should be protected, in most study locations, between 4 percent and 12 percent of women who had been pregnant reported being beaten during pregnancy. More than 90 percent of these women had been abused by the father of the unborn child and between one quarter and one half of them had been kicked or punched in the abdomen.
• One quarter to one half of all women who had been physically assaulted by their partners said that they had suffered physical injuries as a direct result.
• Abused women are twice as likely as non-abused women to have poor health and physical and mental problems, even if the violence occurred years before. This includes suicidal thoughts and attempts, mental distress, and physical symptoms.

The report recommends a range of vital interventions to change attitudes and challenge the inequities and social norms that perpetuate abuse. The top recommendations called for the international community to:

• Promote gender equality and women’s human rights.
• Establish, implement and monitor multi-sectoral action plans to address violence against women.
• Enhance capacity and establish systems for data collection to monitor violence against women, and the attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate it.
• Develop, implement and evaluate programs aimed at primary prevention of intimate-partner violence and sexual violence.
• Prioritize the prevention of child sexual abuse.
• Integrate responses to violence against women in existing programs for the prevention of HIV and AIDS, and for the promotion of adolescent health.
• Make physical environments safer for women.
• Make schools safe for girls.
• Develop a comprehensive health sector response to the various impacts of violence against women.
• Use reproductive health services as entry points for identifying and supporting women in abusive relationships, and for delivering referral or support services.
• Strengthen formal and informal support systems for women living with violence.
• Sensitize legal and justice systems to the particular needs of women victims of violence.
• Support research on the causes, consequences, and costs of violence against women and on effective prevention measures.

»Read the WHO's Multi-country Study on Women's Health and Domestic Violence against Women

As noted by Amnesty International, much of the gains in women’s human rights have come directly from the efforts of women themselves, who have organized themselves, broken taboos, spoken up—sometimes at great personal cost—and have led brave and inspiring campaigns against violence against women. They have achieved dramatic changes in laws, policies, and practices.

Clearly our work is not done. GFWC's commitment to ending domestic violence extends to our sisters across the globe, but begins in our own communities.