Sexual and intimate partner violence continue to take a devastating toll, with a recent global study linking hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide in 2023.
Sexual violence against children (SVAC) was linked to 290,000 deaths, mainly from suicide, HIV/AIDS, and type 2 diabetes, while intimate partner violence (IPV) accounted for 145,000 deaths, largely due to homicide, suicide, and HIV/AIDS.
Published in “The Lancet”, the study, conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington with support from the Gates Foundation, assessed IPV and SVAC prevalence and health impacts in 204 countries. It identified 14 health outcomes linked to SVAC and eight to IPV, with mental health disorders, including anxiety in women and schizophrenia in men, causing the greatest loss of healthy life years.
Globally, IPV and SVAC ranked among the top five health risks for premature death and disability in women aged 15–49; SVAC ranked 11th for men. In 2023, 608 million women had experienced IPV, and one billion people had experienced sexual violence during childhood.
These exposures contributed more than 50 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), including 32.2 million from SVAC and 18.5 million from IPV. Nearly 30,000 women were killed by partners, highlighting the urgent need for protective measures.
The highest prevalence of IPV was observed in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania. In Nigeria, deaths linked to IPV rose from 1,940 in 1990 to 7,410 in 2023, while SVAC-related deaths increased from 1,010 to 4,800. Male deaths from SVAC rose from 1,490 to 4,960 over the same period.
The study urged global and national leaders to treat IPV and SVAC as urgent public health priorities, advocating sustained funding, survivor-focused interventions and targeted strategies to ensure universal access and protection for all affected individuals.
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