International Statistics

An analysis of 10 separate domestic violence prevalence studies by the Council of Europe showed consistent findings: 1 in 4 women experience domestic violence over their lifetimes, and between 6-10% of women suffer domestic violence in a given year. (Council of Europe, 2002).

In one study by the World Health Organisation, domestic violence was found to be widespread in all 10 countries studied, though there was considerable variation between countries, and between cities and rural areas. (Garcia-Moreno, C., et al., 2005).

Partner violence accounts for a high proportion of homicides of women internationally: between 40 - 70% of female murder victims (depending on the country) were killed by their partner/former partners, whereas the comparable figure for men is 4 - 8%. (Krug et al. 2002).

Domestic violence is internationally acknowledged to be  one of the health inequalities affecting women particularly, and forms a significant obstacle to their receiving effective health care. (Word Health Organisation, 1997; United Nations, 1993).