From the Editorial
La Jornada Newspaper
Thursday, November 20, 2025, p. 13
At least 840 million women around the world, almost one in three, have suffered physical or sexual violence at least once in their lives, a figure that “has barely changed” in the past two decades, the United Nations reported yesterday in a new report prepared by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies.
The report, considered the most complete global evaluation on the subject to date, classified this type of violence as a “global public health emergency” after analyzing existing data from 168 countries and territories between 2000 and 2023.
Throughout the world, the most common thing is that women’s aggressors are their male partners, the document pointed out. In the recent year, 316 million women aged 15 or older (11 percent of the total) suffered at least one case of physical or sexual abuse from their partner.
These attacks include being forced or coerced into having sexual relations, being slapped, hit, dragged, abused, threatened or attacked with a gun, knife or other weapon, the text added.
The number of intimate partner abuse has dropped only 5 percent since 2000 (0.2 percent annually), which is equivalent to about 17 million fewer victims. “The pace of decline is insufficient. The results highlight that greater efforts are urgently needed to accelerate change,” the WHO said.
The report included figures outside the couple’s sphere for the first time. At least 263 million women have experienced sexual assault by a family member, friend, authority figure or stranger in the past year.
Several factors are causing an increase in attacks, including the growing number of armed conflicts and the rapid rise of technology, the international organization noted.
The text denounced that in 2022, only 0.2 percent of global development aid was directed to programs against this problem, a percentage that is also decreasing.
This year saw further cuts to this funding which have “serious negative impacts” on women’s rights organisations, services and research.
Victims in Latin America
Violence against women and adolescent girls is a serious and persistent problem in Latin America, according to new estimates included in the report.
About 22.8 percent of Latin Americans have suffered some type of violence from their partners, somewhat below the world average of 25.8 percent. Countries such as Bolivia, Costa Rica, Argentina and Colombia are above the average.
Central America is the region in the world with the highest rate of women victims of violence outside the couple, the document detailed.
Violence against women has serious and long-lasting consequences such as physical injuries, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, depression and, in the most extreme cases, femicide. Children exposed to violence in the home are more likely to suffer or commit abuse as adults, perpetuating the cycle of violence, the WHO warned.
(Full report at: https://shorturl.at/uBbRx)
