According to
The World Bank Group The numbers are staggering; 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.
200 million
women have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting.
This issue
is not only devastating for survivors of violence and their families, but also
entails significant social and economic costs. In some countries, violence
against women is estimated to cost countries up to 3.7% of their GDP – more
than double what most governments spend on education.Failure to address this
issue also entails a significant cost for the future. Numerous studies have shown that children
growing up with violence are more likely to become survivors themselves or
perpetrators of violence in the future.One characteristic of gender-based
violence is that it knows no social or economic boundaries and affects women
and girls of all socio-economic backgrounds: this issue needs to be addressed
in both developing and developed countries. Decreasing violence against women
and girls requires a community-based, multi-pronged approach, and sustained
engagement with multiple stakeholders. The most effective initiatives address
underlying risk factors for violence, including social norms regarding gender
roles and the acceptability of violence. When we consider a societal or
community problem, it’s sometimes hard to see past the symptoms of that problem
to get at the real cause. It can be
easier to deal with the concrete, immediate factors rather than the complex,
far-reaching dynamics. But to get to
real change, we must address the underlying issues in order for conditions to
improve. If we want to end gender-based violence, we must eliminate the root
causes of that violence.
Understanding
root causes can be difficult, as it requires us to look beyond what we see in
front of us and attempt to see the more complicated factors that are driving
the problem. Of course, an effective
approach to a solution requires a two-pronged approach that addresses the
immediate problem and looks at the root causes.
Some of the root causes of gender based violence include but are not
limited to:
1. Harmful traditional practices are
forms of violence which have been committed primarily against women and girls
in certain communities and societies for so long that they are considered, or
presented by perpetrators, as part of accepted cultural practice. Harmful
traditional practices are forms of violence which have been committed primarily
against women and girls in certain communities and societies for so long that
they are considered, or presented by perpetrators, as part of accepted cultural
practice. Harmful traditional practices are forms of violence which have been
committed primarily against women and girls in certain communities and
societies for so long that they are considered, or presented by perpetrators,
as part of accepted cultural practice.
The most common types are :
·
Forced
or early marriage so called 'honour' based violence.
·
Female
genital mutilation.
·
Patriarchy.
