WHO: Nearly 1 In 3 Women In The World Face Sexual Violence

ILLUSTRATION/UNICEF

JAKARTA - One in three women around the world, namely around 840 million women, has experienced sexual violence or violence from their partners in their lives.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said the figure had not decreased since 2000.

"Almost one of the three women - estimated at 840 million worldwide - have experienced violence by partners or sexual violence during their lives, a number that has barely changed since 2000", the statement said.

Over the past 12 months, 316 million women have experienced physical or sexual violence by their intimate partners, with 12.5 million of them being teenage girls aged 15'19 years, the WHO added.

Nearly 263 million women over 15 have experienced sexual violence outside of ties, although experts warn the figure is well below the number of unreported cases "due to stigma and fear."

Women living in the region most lagging behind, affected by conflict, and vulnerable to climate change face the greatest risks.

Experts added that although there was a lot of evidence showing effective measures to prevent violence against women, funding for the initiative declined.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis, technological changes, and increasing socio-economic inequality are increasing the risk of sexual violence against millions of women and girls.