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About Violence Against Women 

Violence against women takes many forms. In Aotearoa New Zealand it continues to be a major problem with lasting psychological, emotional and social effects.

What is violence against women?
Aotearoa New Zealand Facts and Figures
The impact of violence against women
Violence against women and human rights

What is violence against women?

Violence against women includes:

• domestic violence
• dating violence
• rape and sexual assault
• sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of girls
• murder of women
• female genital mutilation
• forced and child marriage
• honour crimes
• stalking
• sexual harassment (in the workplace and in the public sphere)
• trafficking in women
• exploitation of women in the sex industry

Violence against women exists in all societies and all forms of violence against women are connected.  
 

Aotearoa New Zealand facts and figures

Violence against women is a problem in Aotearoa New Zealand.

A significant amount of violence in New Zealand is gender-based violence – that is, violence that disproportionately affects women more than men, or violence where women are targeted just because they are women.   

• An average of 14 women are killed in a domestic violence incident every year 
• 33-39% of women are physically or sexually assaulted by their partner in their life time 
• 19-23% of women have experienced severe physical violence from their partner in their lifetime 
• 15-17% of women are beaten or physically assaulted by a non-partner in their life time 
• 9-12% of women are sexually assaulted by a non-partner, and 14-20% are sexually assaulted by their partner, in their lifetime. 
• 24-28% of women report that they experienced sexual abuse as a child, with half of those women experiencing abuse on multiple occasions 
• 70% of those experiencing elder abuse are women.
  

More statistics on violence against women from our resources page

The impact of violence against women

Women are killed and seriously harmed by violence, and all violence has lasting psychological and emotional effects.
 
Violence against women has a profound and damaging impact on individuals who experience violence, their children and partners, whanau / families and the community as a whole.
 
An Australian study found that for women under 45, violence from their partners is the leading cause of poor health, disability, and death. Violence against women is more of a health risk factor than obesity and smoking (VicHealth, 2004).
 
In New Zealand, violence against women continues to be minimized, justified, denied and legitimised. 

Violence against women and human rights

Women in New Zealand are harmed and negatively affected by gender-based violence – that is, violence directed against a woman because she is a woman, or violence that affects women more than men.

Violence against women is an issue that affects us all, it not just an issue for those women who are abused, violated and harmed.

Gender-based violence is a form of gender discrimination – it is a public not a private matter.

Our government is obligated under international law to take effective steps to protect women from all forms of violence, hold perpetrators accountable and to guarantee women equal protection of the law.