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New Delhi: Over a fifth of women in India aged 15-49 were subjected to intimate partner violence in 2023, while nearly 30 per cent have been affected during their lifetime, according to a new global report by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Nearly one in three around the world, or 840 million, have suffered partner or sexual violence during their lifetime -- a figure that has barely changed since 2000, it said.
Estimates also suggest that around the world, 8.4 per cent of women aged 15-49 have been subjected to sexual violence from a non-partner.
In India, about four per cent of women aged 15 and above are estimated to have suffered sexual violence from a non-partner.
"Violence against women is one of humanity's oldest and most pervasive injustices, yet still one of the least acted upon," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
"No society can call itself fair, safe or healthy while half its population lives in fear. Ending this violence is not only a matter of policy; it is a matter of dignity, equality and human rights. Behind every statistic is a woman or girl whose life has been forever altered," Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
He also noted that empowering women and girls is not optional, it's a prerequisite for peace, development and health. A safer world for women is a better world for everyone.
"The estimates presented in this report demonstrate unequivocally that violence against women remains pervasive globally, affecting women across all countries and regions," authors said in the report published ahead of the "International day for the elimination of violence against women and girls" observed on 25 November.
Progress is too slow and achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030 "remains elusive", they said.
Looking at 168 countries, the report is a "comprehensive review of prevalence data from surveys and studies conducted between 2000 and 2023". It updates the 2018 estimates released in 2021.
The report also noted a decline in funds allocated for initiatives aimed to prevent violence against women, at a time when humanitarian crises and environmental disasters -- such as extreme weather events -- are increasing risks of violence against women.
For instance, in 2022, only 0.2 per cent of the global development aid was allocated to programmes focused on the prevention of violence against women, and funding has further fallen in 2025, it said.
The authors urged the world to accelerate progress and deliver a meaningful change through decisive government action and funding.
They called for a scale-up of evidence-based prevention programmes and strengthening of survivor-centred health, legal and social services.
The team also suggested an investment in data systems to track progress and reach the most at-risk groups, and enforcing laws and policies that empower women and girls.