Importance and relevance

Violence against women and girls is a global problem of epidemic proportions affecting many millions of women. It is receiving increasing global recognition and attention resulting in the devel­opment of policy both locally within the United Kingdom and glo­bally as a means to tackle the growing problem of violence against women and girls.

It is becoming accepted that acts of violence against women are not isolated events but rather form a pattern of behaviour that vio­lates the rights of women and girls, limits their participation in society, and damages their health and well-being (3). It is a major health and human rights issue (4, 5) with sometimes fatal conse­quences. Serious short- and long-term physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health problems exist for survivors and for their chil­dren, and contribute to high social and economic costs (5).

Recent global prevalence figures indicate that about one in three (35%) of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Most of this violence is domestic violence. Worldwide, almost one-third (30%) of women who have been in a relationship report that they have experienced some form of physical and/or sexual violence by their intimate partner. As many as 38% of mur­ders of women globally are committed by an intimate partner. Violence can negatively affect women's physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase vulnerability to human im­munodeficiency virus (HIV) (5).