One in three women aged 15 and over in the Americas has experienced physical or sexual violence at some point in their lives, according to estimates from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
According to this UN agency, violence against women and adolescent girls continues to be a serious and persistent problem in the Americas.
The new estimates on the issue were presented this month by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, commemorated on November 25.
The data (collected from 2000 to 2023) indicate that progress in reducing violence against women has been slow, despite increased awareness and the existence of national multisectoral policies and interventions from health services.
Intimate partner violence remains the most common form of abuse, and in the last two decades, prevalence rates of intimate partner violence have remained virtually unchanged.
According to Britta Baer, PAHO advisor, “the shame and stigma associated with sexual violence make it difficult to report, suggesting that the true figures are likely much higher.”
Statistics indicate that one in four women between the ages of 15 and 49 has experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, while one in eight has experienced sexual violence from someone other than an intimate partner.
Young women face early risks, as 21 percent of adolescent girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have experienced intimate partner violence before the age of 20.
Older women are not exempt either: 23 percent of women aged 65 and over report having experienced this type of violence.
PAHO/WHO emphasize that violence against women has serious and lasting consequences, such as physical injuries, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, depression, and, in the most extreme cases, femicide.
Children exposed to this scourge at home are more likely to suffer or perpetrate abuse as adults, perpetuating the cycle of violence.
[ SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA ]
