According to UN Women, there's a prevalence rate of different forms of Violence Against Women and Girls. Women in public life, including parliamentarians and journalists, face widespread psychological violence, including sexist remarks, threats, and mobbing.
Around 82% of women parliamentarians experienced such violence, primarily through social media, with 44% receiving serious threats like death, rape, or assault towards them or their families.
Additionally, 73% of women journalists encountered online violence, with 20% experiencing offline attacks linked to their online harassment. Gender-related reporting was the most common trigger for these attacks, followed by political and human rights issues.
Approximately 200 million females between 15 to 49 years old have experienced female genital mutilation (FGM) across 31 countries where the practice is prevalent. In sub-Saharan Africa, 1 in 4 females has undergone FGM, although rates differ significantly among countries.
Some nations have nearly universal FGM prevalence, affecting at least 90% of females aged 15 to 49,like in Kenya where 21% of girls have undergone some form of FGM, while others, like Cameroon and Uganda, have a much lower prevalence, impacting no more than 1% of girls and women.
Globally, around 6% of women report experiencing sexual violence from someone other than their partner, but the actual prevalence is likely higher due to associated stigma.
Approximately 15 million adolescent girls aged 15–19 have encountered forced sex, primarily from current or former partners. In most countries, adolescent girls face the greatest risk of forced sex from partners. Shockingly, just 1% of those affected in 30 countries have sought professional help.
More needs to be done to eliminate these forms of violence interms of effective policy making.
Sources:
UN WOMEN; Facts and Figures: Ending Violence Against Women
https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/ending-violence-against-women/facts-and-figures
UNPFA
https://www.unfpa.org/data/fgm/KE
