35 Percent Women Globally Are Subjected to Physical or Sexual Violence, WHO Reports

According to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO), 35 percent of women globally are subjected to either physical or sexual violence.

The existence of violence against women doesn't come as surprising news. However, researchers are shocked that this unfortunate phenomenon is surprisingly common across the globe and can, without a doubt be called "epidemic."

One in every three women globally is subjected to either physical or sexual violence, a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed. While 35 percent of women globally are subjected to either physical or sexual violence, 30 percent of them are cases of intimate partner violence.

The report also stated that 38 percent of the women murdered worldwide were killed by their partners. Violence against women is also considered a major contributing factor for depression and other health problems among this gender.

WHO head Margaret Chan calls violence against women a "global health problem of epidemic proportions." She requests that such acts should bear no tolerance worldwide and new guidelines should be adopted by health officials around the world to prevent the abuse and offer better protection to victims.

The study also found that 42% of women physically or sexually abused by partners had injuries because of the violence they were subjected to. Also, women that were subjected to non-partner violent attacks were 2.6 times more likely to go into depression and experience anxiety when compared to women who were not subjected to any form of violence. Other findings revealed:

- Women subjected to intimate partner violence were more likely to become alcohol dependents

- They are also 1.5 times more likely to be infected with sexually transmitted infections like syphilis , chlamydia, or gonorrhea and also HIV in some regions like Africa.

- Women subjected to both partner violence and non-partner sexual violence are more likely to have unwanted pregnancies which lead to abortions.

- Partner violence also leads to a 16% greater chance of having a low birth-weight baby.

"This new data shows that violence against women is extremely common," said report co-author Prof Charlotte Watts from the LSHTM. "We urgently need to invest in prevention to address the underlying causes of this global women's health problem."

Officials from the organizations stress on the need for countries to implement new guidelines that can prove beneficial in preventing such instances and also help unfortunate victims.