Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women

112 Chapter 9
Surveys
often find
that violence
against women
cuts across
socioeconomic,
religious, and
ethnic groups
and across
geographical
areas
be correlated with economic crime outside of the home, as well as with political
and institutional violence at the local and national level (Moser 2001).
This chapter focuses on two important types of violence: domestic or intimate
partner violence and sexual violence by strangers or nonfamily members.
Domestic or intimate partner violence occurs in the home, at the hands of intimate
partners or relatives, and its manifestations include rape and other forms
of sexual violence, physical violence, and psychological abuse. Sexual violence
occurs within the wider community, and its manifestations include rape and
sexual assault or intimidation in public spaces. Women are at increased risk of
this type of violence in conflict situations. In both conflict and nonconflict settings
women are primarily the victims of sexual violence and men are primarily
the perpetrators.
Prevalence of violence against women
Accurate statistical data on the prevalence of gender-based violence are difficult
to come by because of underreporting by victims and underrecording
by police, which also mean that existing evidence most likely underestimates
prevalence. 3 Few national statistical bodies collect data on the topic, and few
of the available studies yield information that is comparable across countries
or regions. 4
The population-based surveys that are available often find that violence
against women cuts across socioeconomic, religious, and ethnic groups and across
geographical areas. 5 Evidence from diverse contexts reveals that women living in
poverty are especially vulnerable to gender-based violence (WHO 2002b; KfW
and City of Cape Town 2002; Bid, Nanavaty, and Patel 2002; Omorodion and
Olusanya 1998), as are adolescent girls. In some countries, however, it is betteroff
women who are at greater risk (Kishor and Johnson 2004).
Women are at risk of violence when carrying out essential daily activities—
walking or taking public transport to work, collecting water or firewood—
especially early in the morning or late at night. Using public transport can
make women especially vulnerable to rape, as reported in India (Bid, Nanavaty,
and Patel 2002), Papua New Guinea (Sen 1998), and Zambia, where girls
are at risk of sexual abuse by school bus drivers (Human Rights Watch 2002).
Secluded or unlit areas, such as isolated bus stops, public latrines, or dark places
are also frequent locations of rape (KfW and City of Cape Town 2002; Louw
and Shaw 1997; Human Rights Watch 1995). A study in metropolitan South
Africa found that 15.5 percent of incidents of sexual abuse occurred in outdoor
public places (Bollen and others 1999).
Adolescent girls are also at risk of violence, sometimes experiencing sexual
violence in schools. This problem is particularly acute in Africa. An Africa
Rights report identified cases of teachers gaining “sexual favors” in return for
good grades in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Somalia,
South Africa, Sudan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe (Omaar and de Waal 1994).