Stats show Africa leads way on violence against women

This, notes a report in The Star, came out in a report entitled Global and Regional Estimates of Violence Against Women: Prevalence and Health Effects of Intimate Partner Violence and Non-Partner Sexual Violence. The report, compiled by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the World Health Organisation and the South African Medical Research Council (MRC), reveals that 45.6% of women in Africa experienced physical or sexual violence, either by an intimate partner or a non-partner, as compared to 35% of women globally. Globally, as much as 38% of all murders of women are reported as being committed by intimate partners, while 42% of women who have experienced intimate-partner violence suffer from injuries. 'This new, groundbreaking data shows that violence is a common occurrence in many homes and we need to be serious in tackling this issue by investing in prevention such as addressing the social norms that promote the use of violence,' said MRC gender and health unit deputy director Dr Naeemah Abrahams. Full report in The Star