LONDON — About a third of women worldwide have been physically or sexually assaulted by a former or current partner, according to the first major review of violence against women.
In a series of papers released Thursday by the World Health Organization and others, experts estimated nearly 40 percent of women killed worldwide were slain by an intimate partner and that being assaulted by a partner was the most common kind of violence experienced by women.
“Violence against women is a global health problem of epidemic proportions,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan in a statement.
Globally, the WHO review found 30 percent of women are affected by domestic or sexual violence by a partner. The report was based largely on studies from 1983 to 2010.
The rate of women who experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner at some time was highest in Southeast Asia, 37 percent. The rate was 30 percent in Latin and South America and 23 percent in North America. In Europe and Asia, it was 25 percent.
