What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Evidence Review, September 2017

Violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC) are violations of human rights and global public health priorities (Figure 1). Globally, an average of 1 in 3 women has experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence, or sexual non-partner violence in their lifetime1. UNICEF estimates that 6 in 10 children aged 2-14 experience regular physical punishment,2 while global prevalence of child sexual abuse is estimated at 12%3.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include specific targets to: eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres (Target 5.2); eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) (Target 5.3); and end the abuse, exploitation, trafficking
and all forms of violence against and torture of children (Target 16.2).
Historically, work to address VAW and VAC has often occurred separately or in silos. However, there is growing global evidence on the intersections of VAW and VAC, including shared risk factors, common social norms, co-occurrence, and the intergenerational cycle of abuse (Figure 2)4. VAW and VAC intersect at various stages of the life course, such as during adolescence. For example, child marriage, FGM and exposure to IPV in dating relationships may be both VAW and VAC. This points to the potential opportunities for integrated responses. (From the document). Record #5650