Over 1 Billion Women Faced Childhood Sexual Violence In 2023: Report

Data from The Lancet journal revealed that around 608 million women globally aged 15 and older were exposed to intimate partner violence in 2023, while over a billion had suffered sexual violence as children.

Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia were found to have the highest rates of intimate relationships and sexual violence. Researchers found that high rates of HIV and other chronic illnesses in these areas exacerbate the negative health effects of violence.

According to estimates, 23 per cent of women in India who are 15 years of age or older have experienced intimate partner abuse. It is estimated that 13 per cent of men and over 30 per cent of women over the age of 15 have been sexually abused as children.

The researchers analysed data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2023, the "largest, most comprehensive effort to quantify health loss across places and over time". The US University of Washington coordinates the GBD study.

"Globally, in 2023, we estimated that 608 million females aged 15 years and older had ever been exposed to IPV (intimate partner violence), and 1·01 billion individuals aged 15 years and older had experienced sexual violence during childhood," the authors wrote.

While experiencing sexual violence as a child was linked to 14 health outcomes, including mental health and substance use disorders as well as chronic illnesses, anxiety and major depressive disorders were among the top eight causes of disability resulting from intimate partner violence.

The two most common disabilities caused by childhood sexual assault were determined to be self-harm and schizophrenia.

According to the researchers, combating violence against women and children is not only a human rights issue1 Billion Women Faced Childhood Sexual Violence

but also a critical public health priority that has the potential to save millions of lives, enhance mental health outcomes, and create resilient communities.

The findings underscore an urgent need for preventive measures such as strengthening legal frameworks, promoting gender equality, and expanding support services for survivors to reduce the health toll caused due to violence, they said.

The World Health Organisation, in a global report published in November, estimated that over a fifth of females in India aged 15-49 were subjected to intimate partner violence in 2023, while nearly 30 per cent have been affected during their lifetime.

Worldwide, nearly one in three, or 840 million, have suffered partner or sexual violence during their lifetime -- a figure that has barely changed since 2000, it said.