WHO : Sexual Violence Reaches Epidemic Levels

The World Health Organization (WHO) said that physical and sexual violence against women has reached epidemic levels, affecting more than a third of women globally. A new study results released by the WHO shows that violence against women is widespread and pervasive, penetrating different regions and all income levels in the community.The study found that one in three women in the world will experience physical or sexual violence in her life by someone he knew, could be a husband, boyfriend, family member or friend. The report said that women of all ages, young or old, prone to violence. WHO said that violence against women is a global health problem with an epidemic levels.

In an analysis of international homicide statistics, the study finds that a husband or partner in charge of close to 38 per cent of murders of women in the world. Women who experienced physical or sexual violence were twice as high risk for experiencing depression or problems with alcohol use than those who have never experienced violence. They are also twice as likely to have an abortion. Risk of getting sexually transmitted infections and HIV up one or one and a half times as much. They are also more at risk of having babies underweight.

This study is the first systematic study on global data experienced by the prevalence of violence against women close partner or non-partner. WHO, in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the Medical Research Council of South Africa, collected data from 81 countries in 2010. The study found that the most affected areas are the Southeast Asia, the eastern Mediterranean and Africa, with the percentage of violence against women by an intimate partner around 37 percent. To violence by a combination of close partner and non-partner sexual violence, the data show Africa has the worst record at 45.6 percent, followed by Southeast Asia, with 40.2 percent. But the report dispel the notion that violence is a problem of developing countries, with 32.7 percent indicated that physical and sexual violence against women occurs in high-income countries.

By Bella Nabilla 

SOURCE : http://www.voaindonesia.com/content/who-kekerasan-terhadap-perempuan-epidemi-global/1686309.html