The world report on violence and health

Abstract

In 1996, the World Health Assembly declared violence a major public health issue. To follow up on this resolution, on Oct 3 this year, WHO released the first World Report on Violence and Health. The report analyses different types of violence including child abuse and neglect, youth violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, elder abuse, self-directed violence, and collective violence. For all these types of violence, the report explores the magnitude of the health and social effects, the risk and protective factors, and the types of prevention efforts that have been initiated. The launch of the report will be followed by a 1-year Global Campaign on Violence Prevention, focusing on implementation of the recommendations. This article summarises some of the main points of the world report.

Broken dreams of a better life in Sweden: Thai women’s lived experiences of intimate partner violence by Swedish men in international marriages

“…Most of the interviewees in the present study were educated, and only two were illiterate; some even had university education, although most worked as manual workers in Sweden, a finding that has also been reported by other researchers [26,51]. Previous research findings have shown that women who are empowered educationally, economically and socially are the most protected in situations of male intimate partner violence [19,20,46]. …”

“…Violence against women has been identified as a major public health and human rights problem throughout the world [19–21]. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasises that violence by men towards women is a significant health problem affecting one in three women globally [19].…”

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasises that violence by men towards women is a significant health problem affecting one in three women globally [19]. Addressing violence against women is critical for both health and family reasons [22–25].…”

Childhood violence and mental health among indigenous Sami and non-Sami populations in Norway: a SAMINOR 2 questionnaire study

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognised interpersonal violence as an important, worldwide public health issue that adversely affects both mental and physical health [1]. Childhood violence is defined as all forms of physical and/or emotional maltreatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, which result in actual or potential harm to the child`s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power[2].…”

“…Approximately 20% of women and 5–10% of men report childhood sexual abuse. Nearly a quarter of adults (22.6%) suffered physical abuse as a child, and 36.3% suffered emotional abuse [1]. The lifelong consequences of child maltreatment include impaired physical and mental health, poorer school performance, and job and relationship difficulties [3–6].…”