Alarming Rates of Intimate Partner Violence Among Adolescent Girls Highlight Need for Urgent Action

News Mania Desk/Agnibeena Ghosh/31st July 2024

Adolescent girls around the globe are facing disturbingly high rates of intimate partner violence. A recent analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO), published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, reveals that nearly a quarter (24%) of adolescent girls who have been in a relationship experience physical and/or sexual violence by the age of 20. This equates to approximately 19 million young women worldwide. Even more alarming, about 16% of these girls have endured such violence in the past year alone.

Dr. Pascale Allotey, Director of WHO’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research department, emphasized the critical need to address this issue. “Intimate partner violence is starting alarmingly early for millions of young women around the world,” she said. “Given that violence during these critical formative years can cause profound and lasting harms, it needs to be taken more seriously as a public health issue – with a focus on prevention and targeted support.”

The consequences of partner violence are far-reaching, impacting young women’s health, educational achievements, future relationships, and lifelong prospects. Health-wise, it increases the risk of injuries, depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and various other physical and psychological conditions.

This new study offers a comprehensive analysis of physical and/or sexual partner violence prevalence among 15-19-year-old girls in intimate relationships. It also examines the broader social, economic, and cultural factors that heighten their risks. While violence against adolescent girls is a global issue, the study highlights significant regional variations. According to WHO estimates, the highest prevalence rates are in Oceania (47%) and central sub-Saharan Africa (40%), whereas central Europe (10%) and central Asia (11%) have the lowest rates. The disparity between countries is also stark, with the prevalence ranging from 6% in the least affected nations to 49% in those most severely impacted.

The analysis identifies that intimate partner violence against adolescent girls is most prevalent in lower-income countries and regions where fewer girls attend secondary school and where legal property ownership and inheritance rights for girls are weaker compared to men. Child marriage significantly exacerbates the risk, as spousal age differences lead to power imbalances, economic dependency, and social isolation, all of which increase the likelihood of enduring abuse.

The urgent need for targeted support services and early prevention measures tailored for adolescents is clear. Strengthening women’s and girls’ agency and rights through school-based programs that educate both boys and girls on healthy relationships and violence prevention is essential. Legal protections and economic empowerment are also crucial. Since many adolescents lack financial resources, they face particular challenges in leaving abusive relationships.

Dr. Lynnmarie Sardinha, a study author and Technical Officer for Violence Against Women Data and Measurement at WHO, stressed the importance of policies and programs that enhance equality for women and girls. “The study shows that to end gender-based violence, countries need to have policies and programmes in place that increase equality for women and girls,” she said. This includes ensuring secondary education for all girls, securing gender-equal property rights, and ending harmful practices such as child marriage, which perpetuate violence against women and girls.

Currently, no country is on track to eliminate violence against women and girls by the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal target date. Ending child marriage, which affects 1 in 5 girls globally, and expanding girls’ access to secondary education will be critical for reducing partner violence against adolescent girls.

WHO continues to support countries in measuring and addressing violence against women, including strengthening prevention and response efforts within the healthcare sector. New WHO guidelines on preventing child marriage are anticipated by the end of 2024, aiming to further bolster these critical initiatives.

This study, funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office through the WHO-UN Women Joint Programme on Strengthening Violence Against Women Data, underscores the necessity for a coordinated global effort to protect adolescent girls from intimate partner violence and ensure their safety, health, and well-being.