The Child Rights Coalition (CRC) Asia revealed on Friday that at least 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.
However, CRC Asia stressed that this figure does not include sexual harassment.
According to CRC Asia regional executive director Amihan Abueva, harmful practices such as child marriage, trafficking and domestic abuse remain widespread in many parts of the Asia Pacific.
UNICEF estimates that 736 million women and girls worldwide 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 and 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, an average of 140 women or girls were killed every day by a family member.
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 Children Act of 2004.
“Violence against women and girls in all forms — physical, sexual, psychological, and online — must end,” Abueva said.
“Strengthening legal protections, ensuring survivor-centered responses, and addressing harmful gender norms are critical steps toward a future free from violence,” she added.