“Today, millions of women and children live in homes where violence is a part of everyday life,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “The safety and autonomy of women are paramount to the well-being of children.”
A violation of human rights
The analysis follows updated United Nations global estimates of violence against women, published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on behalf of the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Women.
These estimates show that more than One in 10 adolescent girls and women ages 15 and older has experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner in the past 12 months..
Violence against women – particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence – is a major public and clinical health problem and a violation of women’s human rights. It is rooted in and perpetuates gender inequalities.
Globally, One in three women suffers physical and/or sexual violence throughout her life.primarily by an intimate partner, a stark reminder of the magnitude of gender inequality and discrimination against women.
Where women and children are most at risk
For the first time, UNICEF regional data highlights where women and children are most at risk.
In Oceania, just over half of all children (around three million) live with a mother who has recently experienced intimate partner violence. Sub-Saharan Africa follows at 32 percent, affecting 187 million children. Central and southern Asia, although slightly lower (29 percent), represents the largest number globally, with 201 million children affected.
Other regional findings include:
- North Africa and Western Asia: 26 percent, or 52 million children
- East and Southeast Asia: 21 percent, or 105 million children
- Latin America and the Caribbean: 19 percent, or 35 million children
- Europe and North America: 13 percent, or 28 million children
- Australia and New Zealand: 5 percent, or approximately 400,000 children
Long term consequences
Children who live in homes where their mothers suffer violence are at greater risk of suffering direct and indirect harm, UNICEF warned.
Even if they themselves do not suffer physical abuseWitnessing violence can erode trust between children and their caregiversThey leave deep emotional scars and cause trauma that often persists into adulthood.
Exposure to intimate partner violence also increases the likelihood that children will experience or perpetuate violence later in life, with long-term consequences for their safety, development, health, and education.
UNICEF is urging governments to take stronger action, calling for integrated strategies that address violence against women and children, backed by support for organizations led by women and girls.
It emphasizes the need for greater access to survivor-centered services, greater investment in prevention (including parent and school programs), and efforts to challenge harmful social norms while elevating the voices of survivors and youth.