Violence against women is an obstacle to the achievement of the objectives of equality, development and peace. It both violates and impairs or nullifies the enjoyment by women of their human rights and fundamental freedoms. Tolerance and experience of domestic violence are significant barriers to the empowerment of women and it has a negative health consequences for victims, especially with respect to the reproductive health of women and the physical, emotional, and mental health of their children
Proportion of women subjected to physical and/or sexual violence in the last 12 months (modeled estimate, % of ever partnered women ages 45-54)
Collecting valid, reliable, and ethical data on domestic violence poses particular challenges because what constitutes violence or abuse varies across cultures and among individuals. In addition, a culture of silence usually surrounds domestic violence and can affect reporting.
Proportion of women subjected to physical and/or sexual violence in the last 12 months is the percentage of ever partnered women ages 45-54 who are subjected to physical violence, sexual violence or both by a current or former intimate partner in the last 12 months.
The United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence Against Women Estimation and Data (VAW-IAWGED) generated prevalence estimates of intimate partner violence against women and non-partner sexual violence against women using a multilevel regression model.   

The main sources of data on violence against women are: (i) specialized surveys on violence against women, for example surveys using the WHO multi-country study instrument and methodology or the European Union (EU)-wide survey on violence and (ii) modules on violence against women within larger national health surveys, such as the DHS and RHS. A small number of data points came from other surveys such as national crime victimization surveys or MICS. 

This assessment harmonized data for these two forms of violence by including all available surveys that met the following WHO study criteria: (1) population-based, (2) representative at a national or subnational level, (3) conducted between 2000 and 2018, and available by 2019, and (4) used acts-based measures. The assessment adjusted for age groups and differences in definition of violence to make them comparable. The country-level, regional, and global estimates are presented as 2018 data, but are derived from surveys spanning the period 2000 to 2018. 

Please refer to details of the methodology in the report: “Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2018: global, regional and national prevalence estimates for intimate partner violence against women and global and regional prevalence estimates for non-partner sexual violence against women”. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021.