Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Prevalence of intimate partner violence: findings from the WHO multi-country study on women's health and domestic violence
Other Titles:	The lancet
Authors:	Watts, Charlotte H Ellsberg, Mary Jansen, Henrica A F M Garcia-Moreno, Claudia Heise, Lori
Keywords:	Health;Mental health;Policy
Year:	2002
Publisher:	J. Onwhyn
Citation:	368, October 7, 2006
Notes:	General Overview: This article presents findings of the WHO (World Health Organisation) study on the extent of physical and sexual intimate partner violence against women from fifteen sites (including city and provincial sites) in ten countries: Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, Japan, Namibia, Peru, Samoa, Serbia and Montenegro, Thailand and the United Republic of Tanzania. Methods: Standardised population-based household surveys were conducted between 2000 and 2003 in each of the study sites. Interviews were completed with 24,097 women, aged 15 to 49 years. Discussion: The common experience of intimate partner violence across the world is discussed. The results show that a large proportion of the violence is severe and frequent. The proportion of severe violence seems higher in the more traditional and rural settings, than in city settings of Japan and Serbia and Montenegro. The article discusses this in relation to literature suggesting that the pattern of violence might be different in settings of high violence and low empowerment of women, compared with more industrialised settings. Results: The article finds that between 4% and 54% of respondents reported physical or sexual partner violence or both within the 12 months prior to the study. Men who are more controlling are also found to be more likely to be violent against their partners. The reported lifetime prevalence of physical or sexual partner violence or both varied from 15% (Japan) to 71% (Ethiopia province), with most sites ranging between 29% and 62%. Japan city consistently reported the lowest prevalence of all forms of violence. The provinces of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Peru and the United Republic of Tanzania reported the highest. The lifetime prevalence of sexual partner violence is found to range from 6% (city sites in Japan, Serbia and Montenegro) to 59% (Ethiopia province), with most between 10% and 50%. In most sites, sexual violence by the partner is found to be less prevalent than physical violence except for Ethiopia province, Bangladesh province and Thailand city, where there are more reported sexual than physical partner violence. Conclusions: The article concludes that physical and sexual partner violence against women is widespread in a range of cultural and geographical contexts. However, the varying prevalence within and between different sites or settings indicates that this violence is not inevitable. The findings show that women are more at risk of violence from an intimate partner rather than from other types of perpetrators and suggests this makes the epidemiology and the consequences of violence different for women and men, as men are more at risk from strangers or acquaintances than intimates.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/16302
ISSN:	0140-6736
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

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