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Domestic violence

Domestic abuse is a pattern of behaviour used to establish and maintain power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence.

Sexual violence is a serious public health and human rights problem. Whether sexual violence occurs in the context of an intimate partnership, within the larger family or community structure, or during times of conflict, it is a deeply violating and painful experience for the survivor.

Domestic and sexual violence are among the most urgent crises facing the world today.

1 in 3 women worldwide experience physical and/or sexual violence. In order to end these injustices, we all need to be part of the solution.

48,800

women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members in 2022.

of women worldwide have been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner.

200 million

women have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting.

Know the facts

35% of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence.
Globally, 7% of women have been sexually assaulted by someone other than a partner.
Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner.
Approximately 15 million adolescent girls (aged 15 to 19) worldwide have experienced forced sex (forced sexual intercourse or other sexual acts) at some point in their life.
200 million women have experienced female genital mutilation or cutting.
In 2022, around 48,800 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. This means that, on average, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family.
Studies show that domestic and intimate partner violence cause more deaths and entail much higher economic costs than homicides or civil wars. Read more about measuring the economic costs of violence against women and girls.
Violence can negatively affect women’s physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health, and may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in some settings.