Children’s exposure to intimate partner violence is
highest in Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and
Southern Asia, reflecting deep regional inequalities and
widespread patterns of abuse experienced by women
worldwide.
“Today, millions of women and children
are living in homes where violence is a part of regular
life,” said UNICEF Executive Director
Catherine Russell. “Women’s safety and autonomy
are paramount to children’s
well-being.”
A human rights
violation
The analysis comes in the wake of updated
UN
global estimates on violence against women, published by
the World Health Organization (WHO) on behalf of the UN
Violence Against Women Inter-Agency Working
Group.
These estimates show that more than one
in 10 adolescent girls and women aged 15 and older have
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
experiences physical and/or sexual violence in her
lifetime, mostly by an intimate partner — a stark
reminder of the scale of gender inequality and
discrimination against women.
Where women and
children are most at risk
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For the first time,
UNICEF’s 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 per cent, affecting 187
million children. Central and Southern Asia, while slightly
lower at 29 per cent, account for the largest number
globally, with 201 million affected children.
Other
regional findings include:
- Northern
Africa and Western Asia: 26 per cent, or 52 million
children - Eastern and South-Eastern
Asia: 21 per cent, or 105 million
children - Latin America and the
Caribbean: 19 per cent, or 35 million
children - Europe and Northern
America: 13 per cent, or 28 million
children - Australia and New Zealand:
5 per cent, or approximately 400,000
children
Long term consequences
Children
living in homes where their mothers experience violence are
at heightened risk of both direct and indirect harm, UNICEF
warned.
Even if they are not physically abused
themselves, witnessing violence can erode trust
between children and caregivers, leave deep
emotional scars, and cause trauma that often carries 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
tackle both violence against women and children, backed by
support for women- and girl-led organisations.
It
emphasises the need for wider access to survivor-centred
services, greater investment in prevention – including
parenting and school-based programmes – and efforts to
challenge harmful social norms while elevating the voices of
survivors and young
people.
