Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – A new global report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations partners warns that violence against women remains “alarmingly stagnant,” with more than 840 million women worldwide having faced intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetime.
Released on Wednesday ahead of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, the report reveals that nearly one in three women globally have endured physical or sexual violence, while 316 million experienced abuses from a partner in the past year alone.
Despite two decades of advocacy, the study shows progress has been “painfully slow,” with only a 0.2 per cent annual decline since 2000. It also provides new regional and national estimates of sexual violence by non-partners, revealing that at least 263 million women have been affected since age 15 — a number WHO officials warn is significantly underreported.
“Violence against women is one of humanity’s oldest injustices,” WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “No society can call itself healthy when half its population lives in fear. Empowering women and girls is not optional; it is fundamental to peace, dignity and development.”
The report highlights collapsing global funding for prevention programmes, even as conflict, climate shocks and inequality worsen women’s vulnerability. Only 0.2 per cent of development aid was allocated to prevention in 2022, with funding declines continuing this year.
UN Women Executive Director Dr Sima Bahous urged governments to show political courage. “Ending violence requires leadership, unity and investment. Every woman and girl deserves a life free from fear.”
UNFPA chief Diene Keita warned that many women face “compounded discrimination that multiplies the harm,” while UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell stressed the urgency of breaking cycles of abuse that begin in adolescence.
About the Author
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Koko Maxwella 
Otamere Gladness 