One in three women worldwide has been the victim of sexual or physical violence at some point in their lives.
A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday (March 9) revealed such information, according to Qatar-based Al-Jazeera.
The report called on the governments of various countries to further improve the quality of service for women victims of violence and abuse and to eliminate economic inequality between men and women.
According to WHO statistics, about 31 percent of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical or sexual abuse which is more than 85 crore 20 lakhs in number. This information was obtained by conducting a survey between 2000 and 2018.
Boys should be taught in schools about the need for mutual respect in relationships and the need for mutual consent in the case of sex, UN health officials said.
"Violence against women is a regular feature in every country and culture in the world," said Tedros Adhanam, Director General of the WHO. This is affecting millions of women and their families. He said the figure has risen further during the pandemic.
In most cases, women are most likely to be abused by their husbands or their partners, the report said. The picture of this torture in poor countries is even more depressing. However, the actual number of oppressed women is much higher than the number surveyed by the WHO because, many cases of sexual harassment remain unknown.
One in four women is abused by her acquaintances, according to the survey.
According to the WHO, violence against women is more prevalent in Kiribati, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan. The lowest rates of violence are in European countries. Wherever up to about 23 percent. The WHO also said that the persecution started at the young age.
Heidi Stokel, who is involved in the study, said that violence against women has not changed over the past decade.
"Unfortunately, violence against women remains the same," said Stokel, Director of the Gender Violence and Health Center at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Stokel called on the people to raise awareness on the issue of gender-based violence and said that the government of every country should take steps to prevent violence against women.
She added that women are facing economic and social inequality. So it is necessary to bring systematic change in every country.