Health consequences

Abstract

Violence has immediate effects on women's health, which in some cases, is fatal. Physical, mental and behavioural health (1) consequences can also persist long after the violence has stopped. Violence against women and girls occurs in every country and culture, and is rooted in social and cultural attitudes and norms that privilege men over women and boys over girls. The abuse takes many forms, including: n intimate partner violence (sometimes called domestic or family violence, or spousal abuse) which can be physical, sexual or emotional; n dating violence; n sexual violence (including rape) by strangers, acquaintances or partners; n systematic rape during armed conflict; n forced prostitution, trafficking or other forms of sexual exploitation; n female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful traditional practices; n dowry-related violence; n forced marriage or cohabitation, including forced wife inheritance and 'wife kidnapping'; n femicide and the killing girls or women in the name of 'honour'; and n female infanticide and deliberate neglect of girls. While the prevalence and forms of violence against women in low-and middle-income countries may differ from those in higher-income countries, the health consequences seem to be similar across all settings (Table 1). However, the nature or severity of the effects of violence can be influenced by context-specific factors such as: poverty; gender inequality; cultural or religious practices; access to health, legal and other support services; conflict or natural disaster; HIV/AIDS prevalence; and legal and policy environments. Effects on physical health The health consequences of violence can be immediate and acute, long-lasting and chronic, and/or fatal. Research consistently finds that the more severe the abuse, the greater its impact on women's physical and mental health. In addition, the negative health consequences can persist long after abuse has stopped. The consequences of violence tend to be more severe when women