WHO / VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

A new report by the World Health Organization and its partners shows that violence against women remains devastatingly pervasive and starts alarmingly young. Across their lifetime, one in three women, around 736 million, are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner – a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade. WHO

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:05:34
• Production Date: 8 March 2021
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION - WHO
• Subject Topical: WOMEN'S RIGHTS
• MAMS Id: 2606490
• Parent Id: 2606490
• Alternate Title: unifeed210308h

Description

STORY: WHO / VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
TRT: 5:34
SOURCE: WHO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 03 MARCH 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

Shotlist

FILE - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Wide shot, WHO emblem outside headquarters

03 MARCH 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

2. Wide shot, García-Moreno walking down stairs at WHO headquarters
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Claudia García-Moreno, Unit Head, Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH), World Health Organization (WHO):
“Globally, when we look at the combined effect of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence, we have 30 percent, one in three women who have experienced at least one of these forms of violence, globally. And this figure hasn't really changed in the past eight years since we've looked at it. The second point is that this is driven largely by intimate partner violence, which is very high. It's 27 percent. So, one in four women globally are affected, are subjected to either physical or sexual violence from a partner at least once in their lifetime since the age of 15. And the third and very critical issue is that we see that this violence starts very early. One out of every four adolescent girls, aged 15 to 19, already have experienced or have been subjected to either physical or sexual violence in the hands of a close partner. And I think this is very serious.”
4. Med shots, García-Moreno being interviewed
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Claudia García-Moreno, Unit Head, Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH), World Health Organization (WHO):
“The rates are really unacceptably high everywhere, but we see the highest prevalence in the least developed countries in particularly the regions of Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. And also, when we look at countries, we see that the poorer countries and countries that have been affected by conflicts recently tend to have among the higher rates.
6. Various shots, García-Moreno looking through 2018 report
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Claudia García-Moreno, Unit Head, Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH), World Health Organization (WHO):
“Actually, I think that we can be optimistic. Firstly, there's a lot more data available now than there was in the previous estimates, when we did the previous estimates. And this signals that countries are beginning to measure the problem, which is the first important step in recognizing, acknowledging and taking action. We see that even in countries with very high prevalence like Afghanistan, Pakistan - we have been doing a lot of work with the Health sector to strengthen the capacity of providers to know how to identify and respond in a caring and sensitive way to survivors who need care. And health services obviously need to be a part of a much larger action plan with all sectors, but they are an important entry point because women go there, they trust health service providers, and it can be a window to other services.”
8. Various shots, García-Moreno looking through 2018 report
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Claudia García-Moreno, Unit Head, Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH), World Health Organization (WHO):
“We have seen and we are seeing a lot more awareness, a lot more progress in terms of actions, but I think the numbers highlight that we are not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target on elimination of violence against women and girls, and that we really need to accelerate our actions. There needs to be stronger leadership and political will. And as we have said, COVID is likely to have made the situation worse. And we need to see that COVID reconstruction efforts also address women and girls and the issue of violence against women.”
10. Close ups, 2018 report
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Claudia García-Moreno, Unit Head, Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH), World Health Organization (WHO):
“These figures actually predate COVID-19. They are capturing data from 2000 to 2018 and I think what they highlight is that even before COVID, the problem was already of, you know we could call it pandemic proportions because it's very widespread and it's very high. We know that COVID has increased the reporting of incidents of particularly domestic violence, violence by partners in many countries.”
12. Various shots, García-Moreno looking through 2018 report

Storyline

A new report by the World Health Organization and its partners shows that violence against women remains devastatingly pervasive and starts alarmingly young. Across their lifetime, one in three women, around 736 million, are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner – a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.

The new report being released today (09 Mar), presents data from the largest ever study of the prevalence of violence against women, conducted by WHO on behalf of a special working group of the United Nations. Based on data from 2000 to 2018, it updates previous estimates released in 2013.

The head of WHO’s Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research (SRH), Dr Claudia García-Moreno, alarming figures are largely driven by intimate partner violence, which is very high. She added, “One in four women globally are affected, are subjected to either physical or sexual violence from a partner at least once in their lifetime since the age of 15. And the third and very critical issue is that we see that this violence starts very early. One out of every four adolescent girls, aged 15 to 19, already have experienced or have been subjected to either physical or sexual violence in the hands of a close partner. And I think this is very serious.”

García-Moreno said the rates are “really unacceptably high everywhere, but we see the highest prevalence in the least developed countries in particularly the regions of Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.” She added that poorer countries and countries that have been affected by conflicts recently tend to have among the higher rates of violence against women.

The WHO official said, however, that there is reason to be “optimistic.” She said, “Firstly, there's a lot more data available now than there was in the previous estimates, when we did the previous estimates. And this signals that countries are beginning to measure the problem, which is the first important step in recognizing, acknowledging and taking action. We see that even in countries with very high prevalence like Afghanistan, Pakistan - we have been doing a lot of work with the Health sector to strengthen the capacity of providers to know how to identify and respond in a caring and sensitive way to survivors who need care. And health services obviously need to be a part of a much larger action plan with all sectors, but they are an important entry point because women go there, they trust health service providers, and it can be a window to other services.”

García-Moreno noted that there has been much more awareness and “a lot more progress in terms of actions.” Still, she said the numbers highlight that “we are not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target on elimination of violence against women and girls, and that we really need to accelerate our actions.” She added, “There needs to be stronger leadership and political will. And as we have said, COVID is likely to have made the situation worse. And we need to see that COVID reconstruction efforts also address women and girls and the issue of violence against women.”

García-Moreno noted that the figures in the report predate the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore highlight the fact that “even before COVID, the problem was already of, you know we could call it pandemic proportions because it's very widespread and it's very high.” She added that the pandemic has increased the reporting of incidents of “particularly domestic violence, violence by partners in many countries.”