Notes to broadcasters on domestic abuse in Africa
Date Posted: July 16th, 2012
Domestic abuse is an issue all over the world. But a recent study from the International Rescue Committee reported that in conflict-hit West African countries, violent husbands often pose a greater threat to women’s lives than armed assailants.
For a link to the IRC report, visit: http://www.rescue.org/sites/default/files/resource-file/IRC_Report_DomVioWAfrica.pdf
Domestic violence is a global problem. According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), violence in the home is the primary cause of injury and death for women aged 16–44 in Europe, more lethal than road accidents or cancer. Indeed, “Violence against women,” said then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 1999, “knows no boundaries of geography, culture or wealth. It is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation.”
According to WHO, violence affects millions of women in Africa. In a 2005 study on women’s health and domestic violence, the WHO found that 50 per cent of women in Tanzania and 71 per cent of women in Ethiopia’s rural areas reported beatings or other forms of violence by husbands or other intimate partners.
Africa Renewal’s take on gender-based violence: http://www.un.org/en/africarenewal/vol21no2/212-violence-aganist-women.html
For statistics about violence against women in Africa, visit the UN’s UNITE to End Violence against Women’s stats site: http://www.africaunitecampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/africaunitefactsheets.pdf
