Sexual assault 'endemic' worldwide

Thursday February 13th, 2014

Women around the world suffer high rates of sexual assault from men who are not their partners, researchers said yesterday.

The research was carried out by Professor Naeemah Abrahams of the South African Medical Research Council in Cape Town, and colleagues from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organisation.

They gathered information from 77 suitable studies in 56 countries on women's reported experiences of sexual violence by anyone except intimate partners.

"Sexual violence is a common experience for women worldwide, and in some regions is endemic, reaching more than 15% in four regions," they report in The Lancet.

The highest rates of sexual violence are seen in central sub-Saharan Africa (21%), southern sub-Saharan Africa (17.4%), and Australasia (16.4%). The lowest reported rates are in countries in North Africa/ Middle East (4.5%) and south Asia (3.3%). The figures for Europe ranged from 6.9% in eastern Europe to around 11% in central and western Europe.

But all of these figures probably underestimate the true magnitude of the problem, say the authors, due to the stigma and blame that leads to under-reporting. Many countries had no information at all.

Professor Abrahams says: "Our findings highlight the need for countries to have their own population-based data on the levels of sexual violence by different perpetrators to improve understanding of the magnitude of the problem and the main risk factors, and to develop appropriate policies and responses, including primary prevention interventions and comprehensive services to treat victims of sexual assaults."

Commenting on the study, Dr Kathryn Yount, of Emory University, Atlanta, USA, said: "Effective responses will require widespread legal and institutional change."

Abrahams, N. et al. The Lancet 12 February 2014 [abstract]

Tags: Africa | Australia | Europe | Women's Health & Gynaecology | World Health

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