What Is Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)?

Author(s):  
Jacqui True

What do we mean by VAWG? “Violence against women and girls” (VAWG) is a catch-all phrase. It includes a wide range of forms of violence. Often when people talk about VAWG in Western societies, they are referring to intimate partner violence or domestic violence...

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. e045574
Author(s):  
Heidi Stöckl ◽  
Lynnmarie Sardinha ◽  
Mathieu Maheu-Giroux ◽  
Sarah R Meyer ◽  
Claudia García-Moreno

IntroductionIn 2013, the WHO published the first global and regional estimates on physical and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner sexual violence (NPSV) based on a systematic review of population-based prevalence studies. In this protocol, we describe a new systematic review for the production of updated estimates for IPV and NPSV for global monitoring of violence against women, including providing the baseline for measuring Sustainable Development Goal to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.Methods and analysisThe systematic review will update and extend the previous search for population-based surveys (either nationally or subnationally representative) conducted among women aged 15+ years that measured the prevalence of physical, sexual, psychological and physical and/or sexual IPV, NPSV or sexual violence by any perpetrator up to December 2019. Data will be extracted separately for all age groups, setting (urban/rural), partnership status (currently partnered/ever partnered/all women) and recall period (lifetime prevalence/past 12 months). Studies will be identified from electronic searches of online databases of EMBASE, MEDLINE, Global Health and PsycInfo. A search of national statistics office homepages will be conducted for each country to identify reports on population-based, national or subnational studies that include data on IPV or NPSV published outside academic journals. Two reviewers will be involved in quality assessment and data extraction of the review. The review is planned to be updated on a continuous basis. All findings will undergo a country consultation process.Ethics and disseminationFormal ethical approval is not required, as primary data will not be collected. This systematic review will provide a basis and a follow-up tool for global monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goal Target 5.2 on the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42017054100.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-101
Author(s):  
Leigh Goodmark

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is the signature federal legislative accomplishment of the anti-violence movement and has ensured that criminalization is the primary response to intimate partner violence in the United States. But at the time of its passage, some anti-violence activists, particularly women of color, warned that criminalization would be problematic for a number of reasons, a caution that has borne fruit in the 25 years since VAWA’s passage. This article critiques the effectiveness of criminalization as anti-domestic violence policy and imagines what a non-carceral VAWA could look like.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Alanur Çavlin

The highest threat for intimate partner femicide (IPF) is previous history of intimate partner violence (IPV). This study estimates magnitude of women with an increased IPF risk in Turkey based on prevalence data of different forms of violence among specific high-risk groups from the Research on Domestic Violence against Women in Turkey (2014) and 2014 population size. Correspondingly, around 2 million 15-59-aged-women are currently exposed to IPV. Some 1 million women face concurrent threats of physical, sexual, emotional violence. 170 thousand women are threatened/attacked with lethal objects. Among divorced/separated women, almost 123 thousand severe violence survivors confront high-risk of femicide.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga Soares Cunha ◽  
Rui Abrunhosa Goncalves

Intimate partner homicide/attempted homicide are the most serious outcome of intimate partner violence. Thus, in this study, conducted in Portugal, we sought to compare perpetrators of severe violence with those who perpetrate less severe acts of violence as well as to identify predictors for severe violence. Sample was constituted by 50 men convicted for marital homicide or attempted homicide and 137 men convicted for domestic violence. Results show that although both perpetrators of severe and less severe violence share some characteristics, significant differences were found among them. The use of weapons, separation/break-up, and high socioeconomic status (SES) significantly increased the likelihood of a man to commit severe violence. Prior violence, aggression, and medium SES decreased significantly the probability of an individual to perpetrate severe violence. These findings reinforce the assumption that severe and less severe forms of violence can be discrete phenomena and underscore the importance of conducting accurate risk assessments.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jéssica Andrade da Fonseca ◽  
Giovanna Burgos Souto Maior E Viviane Colares

Introdução: As infecções sexualmente transmissíveis (IST´s) estão acometendo cada vez mais a população adolescente. Entre os fatores responsáveis, é possível citar a diminuição da idade para início da vida sexual, não uso de preservativo e o aumento no número de parceria sexual. Alguns estudos relatam ainda a relação entre a violência e o risco para as IST´s. Objetivo: Avaliar a violência como fator de risco as infecções sexualmente transmissíveis em adolescentes. Materiais e métodos: A busca bibliográfica foi realizada nas bases de dados BVS, LILACS, PubMed e SciELO, a partir da estratégia PECO, na qual, P (população) é composta por adolescentes; E (exposição) à violência; C (comparação), não houve e, no O (outcomes ou desfecho), temos infecções ou doenças sexualmente transmissíveis. A partir disso, utilizou-se a seguinte estratégia de busca: ((adolescent OR teen OR child) AND (violence OR sex offenses OR exposure to violence OR child abuse OR violence against women OR gender-based violence OR domestic violence OR intimate partner violence)) AND (sexually transmitted infections OR sexually transmitted disease). Foram incluídos: estudos clínicos, estudos comparativos, teste clínico controlado, estudo multicêntrico, estudo observacional e ensaio clinico randomizado. A revisão sistemática foi registrada no PROSPERO sob o número CRD42021273079. Os revisores foram cegos e independentes durante as fases de seleção por títulos/resumos e leitura do artigo na íntegra. Resultados: Foram encontrados 502 artigos nas bases de dados selecionadas, destes 18 (duplicados) foram excluídos. Resultando em 484 artigos para triagem de títulos e resumos por 2 (duas) autoras, realizou-se o teste de KAPPA que apresentou um índice de concordância entre as autoras de 0,9, considerado excelente. Restando 78 artigos para leitura na integra. Considerações finais: Com o seguimento das próximas etapas do presente estudo, avaliaremos a violência como fator de risco para IST´s.


Author(s):  
Peace A. Medie

Violence, in all of its forms, touches girls and women’s lives in Africa. While there is evidence that girls and women do participate in violence, research has shown that a significant proportion of them have also been victims. Violence against women describes violence inflicted on girls and women because of their gender and includes femicide, rape, intimate partner violence, and human trafficking. It also includes harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and early marriage. While it is a global problem, the levels of some forms of violence against women are particularly high in Africa. The problem is caused by a complex interaction of factors operating at multiple levels, including at the global level. Historical records show that acts of violence against women, including intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence, were perpetrated during the colonial era. During this period, perpetrators of non-partner sexual violence included colonial officers and troops under their command. Cases brought before colonial courts sometimes resulted in the conviction of the offender, but sentences were generally light. However, incidents of violence against women were mostly resolved within the family or community, with relatives and traditional leaders playing a central role. The post-independence period has seen increased attention to violence against women. Activism by women’s movements contributed to placing the issue on the agenda of states and of international organizations such as the United Nations. Sexual violence perpetrated by armed actors during wars in the 1990s also served to draw attention to violence against women. Consequently, most African countries have amended colonial-era rape laws and have adopted new legislation to address acts such as intimate partner violence, early marriage, and female genital mutilation. Many of them have also created specialized criminal-justice-sector institutions to address various forms of violence against women. These actions on the part of states have been influenced by women’s movements and by pressure from international organizations such as the United Nations. While this demonstrates progress on the part of African states, there is a large implementation gap in most countries. Thus, girls and women rarely benefit from the progressive laws on the books. This demonstrates that there is much work that needs to be done to address violence against women in Africa.


2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Vives-Cases ◽  
M. T. Ruiz-Cantero ◽  
V. Escriba-Aguir ◽  
J. J. Miralles

2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 1792-1820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Nevala

Research on intimate partner violence has suggested that not all violence is the same. This article builds upon earlier research on coercive control—or intimate terrorism—and examines the experiences of women who can be assessed as having experienced coercive controlling violence both in terms of the types of violent incidents they experience and the impact and consequences of the most serious incident of violence by an intimate partner. The article explores differences across the 28 European Union (EU) Member States in terms of coercive control and type of violence used. The results—based on data from the first EU–wide survey on violence against women by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights—are further considered in terms of their association with gender equality. The results show that, in the EU, violence against women perpetrated under coercive control differs from other forms of violence as it involves more serious forms of violence and has a bigger impact in terms of its varied consequences. Countries where women indicated lower levels of coercive control are shown as scoring higher on a measure of gender equality, in contrast with earlier interpretations of the survey findings concerning the relationship between survey measures of physical and/or sexual violence and gender equality. The analysis supports the need to differentiate between various types of intimate partner violence against women—including violence under coercive control—in the European context, both in terms of research to better understand violence and for interventions to prevent violence.


2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Solveig Lelaurain ◽  
Pierluigi Graziani ◽  
Grégory Lo Monaco

Abstract. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global social concern: many women are affected by this phenomenon and by the difficulty of putting an end to it. This review of the literature aims to identify help-seeking facilitating and inhibiting factors in response to IPV. It was carried out on the PsycINFO and Medline databases using the following keywords: “intimate partner violence,” “domestic violence,” “help-seeking,” and “help-seeking barrier.” Ninety out of 771 eligible publications were included on the basis of inclusion criteria. The results highlight that (1) research on this phenomenon is very recent and underdeveloped in Europe, (2) theoretical and conceptual frameworks are poorly developed and extended, (3) there is a significant impact of violence characteristics (e.g., severity, type) on help-seeking, and (4) help-seeking is a complex and multifactorial process influenced by a wide range of factors simultaneously individual and social. To conclude, these findings lead us to propose a psychosocial conceptualization of the help-seeking process by indicating how the levels of explanation approach in social psychology can be applied to this field of research in order to increase our understanding of this phenomenon.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document