Violence against women is one of the most widespread problems in the world, yet we have little reliable data to help us measure it accurately in all its myriad forms – physical, sexual, psychological and economic. This is because violence against women often occurs in domestic or private settings, because our societies tend to minimize or normalize it, because of the fear of reprisals and because of shame with respect to family and friends. Moreover, legal systems and practices prevent a large number of women from filing complaints against their aggressors. Far too often, violence against women is denied and underestimated, and violence against women kills.

Although such violence goes largely unseen, not everything about it is entirely unknown. An estimated 35 per cent of women worldwide have experienced physical abuse. In some countries, 70 per cent of women have been victims of physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner – a figure that does not take into account the harassment to which women are also subjected. Nearly half the femicides in the world are committed by an intimate partner or family member. One hundred and twenty million women and girls under the age of 20 years have been sexually assaulted at least once in their lifetime. Two hundred million women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation, generally before reaching the age of five.

• Complete message at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0026/002661/266174e.pdf 
• More about the International Day at: https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/eliminationofviolenceagainstwomenday