One Out of Three Women is Victim of Violence
Washington, DC, November 24, 2003 (PAHO)—The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) reports that one out of every three women is a victim of violence in the Americas.
Thirty-three percent of women say they have been victims of sexual violence, while 45 percent complain their partners have threatened them.
The problem is not a new one, but these statistics dramatize the fact that the elimination of gender violence remains an unfinished business for the nations of the Americas.
The issue will again move to the forefront tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 25)—International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women—that is celebrated every November 25. To analyze this problem, which crosses all social class lines, PAHP is holding a roundtable with the topic Violence Against Women: An Unfinished Agenda.
"Domestic violence is not easy to define in terms of numbers," said Elsa Gómez, chief of PAHO's Gender and Health Unit. "A comparison of country statistics reveals deceptive percentages by showing a high incidence of violence in certain nations. But in reality this does not mean that in those countries there are more cases of violence, but merely that there is a better control and fewer obstacles to women who dare to denounce (acts of violence) and do something about it."
| International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women has been celebrated since 1988 in honor of the deaths of the three Mirabal sisters. They were murdered in 1960 by the Dominican Republic's Trujillo dictatorship while fighting for the freedom of their Caribbean nation. This is a reminder of the evil done among and between human beings. |
The root of violence is a complex matter, Gómez said. But she noted that all cases have a common denominator: The lack of balance of power between the two sexes. "Men give vent to their frustration with women who live at different levels of submissiveness."
And, contrary to popular beliefs, acts of violence and violent behavior takes place at all levels of society - even though it may be manifested in different manners. In the higher socio-economic classes, violence tends to amount to psychological maltreatment, while in the lower classes it more a physical-type violence.
It is also a fact that during times of crises - such as natural disasters o critical situations such as confinement in a refugee camp - increases the incidence of violence against the weaker members of the group.
Cathy Cuellar, sub regional adviser for PAHO's Gender and Health Unit, works from Costa Rica seeking to reduce gender inequities in the health sector through different initiatives in Central America. "Even though is a slow task, we have learned that the persons who need help tend to look for help when conditions are favorable and when there is more sensitivity and qualified personnel in the health care field," she said,
Another original task in which Cuellar works is the promotion of what is perhaps the most difficult aspect: A change in the culture, a "new masculinity."
She noted that "one has to encourage the role of the male at home in aspects of sexual and reproductive health - the challenge is to grow new concepts. A good beginning is to work thoroughly on the issue of violence because it's very difficult to talk about heath if there is no respect for such a basic right as physical integrity."
The 1994 Convention of Belém do Para said that violence against women "includes any gender-based action or behavior that results in a woman's death, harm or physical suffering - sexual or psychological, in private or in public." This definition includes acts inside or outside a woman's home, and the perpetrator can be her husband or partner, but also a stranger.
Various studies indicate that 85 percent of physical attacks take place within the home and that the husband or partner is the most frequent aggressor. Other country-specific statistics include:
- Ninety-five per cent of female workers in Mexico report that they have been victims of sexual harassment.
- A survey by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Peru among women between the ages of 15 and 44, found that 60 percent of cases of physical violence in Cuzco and 48.4 percent in Lima.
- In Sao Paulo, Brazil, 13 percent of the deaths of women in productive age are homicides. Of those, 60 percent were committed by their husbands or partners.
- En 1998, intra-family violence was the 10th biggest cause of deaths of women between the ages of 15 and 44.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) was established in 1902 and is the world's oldest public health organization. PAHO works with all the countries of the Americas to improve the health and quality of life of its people. PAHO serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization (WHO).
PAHO Member States today include all 35 countries in the Americas. France, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are Participating States. Portugal and Spain are Observer States. The U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is an Associate Member.
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