1 in 3 women experience abuse — group

About one in three women has been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lifetime, according to the Child Rights Coalition (CRC) Asia.

CRC Asia, however, stressed that this figure does not include sexual harassment.

Amihan Abueva, regional executive director of CRC Asia, pointed out that in many parts of the Asia Pacific, harmful practices such as child marriage, trafficking, and domestic abuse remain widespread.

UNICEF estimates that 736 million women and girls across the globe have experienced abuse. It added that women who suffered from violence are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, and sexually transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency virus.

The UN agency also noted that most violence against women is committed by current or former husbands or intimate partners, with more than 640 million women aged 15 and older having been subjected to intimate partner violence.

In 2023, around 51,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. This means that on average, 140 women or girls are killed every day by someone in their own family.

In the Philippines, 17.5 percent of Filipino women aged 15 to 49 experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence from their intimate partners in 2022, according to the Philippine Women's Commission.

A total of 8,055 cases were reported in 2023 to the Philippine National Police under the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act of 2004.