Almost a quarter of adolescent girls will experience violence at the hands of a partner before they turn 20, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
New analysis from the United Nations agency dedicated to global health and safety found 24 percent, close to 19 million, of girls aged between 15 and 19 would have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence by the time they turn 20 years old.
WHO Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research Department Director Pascale Allotey said intimate partner violence was starting alarmingly early for millions of young women around the world.
“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,” Dr Allotey said.
He said partner violence could have devastating impacts on young people’s health, educational achievement, future relationships, and lifelong prospects.
“From a health perspective, it heightens the likelihood of injuries, depression, anxiety disorders, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and many other physical and psychological conditions.
“The study draws on existing data to provide, for the first time, a detailed analysis of the prevalence of physical and/or sexual partner violence experienced by 15 to 19-year-old girls who have been in intimate relationships.”
Dr Allotey said it also identified broader social, economic and cultural factors that increased their risks.
He said while violence against adolescent girls occurred everywhere, the report highlighted significant differences in prevalence.
“Based on WHO’s estimates, the worst affected regions are Oceania (47 percent) and central sub-Saharan Africa (40 percent), while the lowest rates are in central Europe (10 percent) and central Asia (11 percent).
“Between countries, there is also a substantive range, from an estimated six percent adolescent girls subjected to such violence in the least-affected countries, to 49 percent in those with the highest rates.”
Dr Allotey said the new analysis found that intimate partner violence against adolescent girls was most common in lower-income countries and regions, in places where there were fewer girls in secondary school and where girls had weaker legal property ownership and inheritance rights compared to men.
“Child marriage, before the age of 18 years, significantly escalates risks, since spousal age differences create power imbalances, economic dependency, and social isolation – all of which increase the likelihood of enduring abuse.”
Dr Allotey said the study highlighted the urgent need to strengthen support services and early prevention measures tailored for adolescents, alongside actions to advance women’s and girls’ agency and rights, from school-based programs that educate both boys and girls on healthy relationships and violence prevention, to legal protections, and economic empowerment.
