ABOUT VIOLENCE
Violence against women is defined as “any act that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering, including threats of such acts and coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether in public or private life." This includes physical, sexual, psychological and Economic violence, harassment or intimidation; sexual abuse or rape, including marital rape and sexual slavery; battery; domestic violence; forced prostitution; trafficking in women and girls; burning or acid throwing; female genital mutilation; female feticide and infanticide; violence in armed conflict; systemic rape; forced pregnancy; and forced marriage.
Million Women Rise (MWR) believes that male violence against women and children is a global pandemic. Violence includes domestic violence, rape and sexual violence, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, crimes in the name of honour, trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Most violence against women and children is perpetrated by men, and predominantly by men that they know. The experience and impact of violence upon women and children constitutes a serious violation of human rights.
Violence devastates the lives of women, our families, and our communities. It also threatens to undermine efforts to bring about sustainable development. Therefore our campaign to end violence against women is an international struggle for female emancipation and liberty.
Million Women Rise (MWR) believes that male violence against women and children is a global pandemic. Violence includes domestic violence, rape and sexual violence, sexual harassment, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, crimes in the name of honour, trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. Most violence against women and children is perpetrated by men, and predominantly by men that they know. The experience and impact of violence upon women and children constitutes a serious violation of human rights.
Violence devastates the lives of women, our families, and our communities. It also threatens to undermine efforts to bring about sustainable development. Therefore our campaign to end violence against women is an international struggle for female emancipation and liberty.
UK STATISTICS
The Reality in the UK today:
- One woman in four will experience domestic violence at some point in her life.
- Domestic violence has more repeat victims than any other crime (on average there will have been 35 assaults before a victim calls the police).
- Two women are murdered every week by their partner or ex partner.
- One incident of domestic violence is reported to the police every minute.
- One woman in four will experience sexual assault as an adult.
- Only 5% of rapes reported to the police result in the perpetrator being convicted in court.
- Women are more worried about rape than any other crime.
- 250 cases of forced marriage are reported each year.
- Up to 1,420 women per year are trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation
- One woman a month is murdered in the name of ‘so called’ honour.
- Nearly 90% of local authorities do not have a rape crisis centre.
- Over 20,000 girls could be at risk of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in the UK.
INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS
- It is estimated that a woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read .
- In Lithuania 20 to 50% of those sexually exploited through prostitution are believed to be minors. Children as young as age11 are known to have been prostituted.
- Every year, 2 million girls between the ages of 5 and 15 are coerced, abducted, sold or trafficked into the illegal sex market.
- 2 million females are killed before of at birth simply because of their sex.
- One woman dies every minute from pregnancy related causes, most of which are preventable.
- It is estimated that one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abuse in her lifetime.
- Among women aged 15-44 years, gender-based violence accounts for more death and disability than the combined effects of cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and war.
THE EFFECTS
NEVER FORGOTTEN
Memorial to women and children in the UK who have been killed by men. Domestic Violence Memorial (UK) >>
