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Source:

Krug, E et al (eds.), World Report on Violence and Health, (WHO, Geneva, 2002).

Footnotes:

Data in the last column are lifetime rates, and include any relationship or marriage in adult life.

^aIncludes assult by others.
^bRate of partner abuse among ever-married/partnered women recalculated from author's data.
^cIn past 3 months.
^dIn current relationship only.
^eAlthough sample includes all women, ratio of abuse is shown for ever-married/partnered women(number not given).
^fSample group included women who had never been in a relationship and therefore were not in exposed group.
^gDefinition includes throwing objects.
^hPhysical or sexual contact.
ⁱSevere physical violence (hit, kick or beat). Percentage would probably be higher if moderate violence were included.
^jRespondents were recruited from women visiting medical practitioners' offices or hospital/health care centers.
^kPerpetrator could be a family member or close friend.

Technical notes:

Table 6.C shows the percentage of adult women who have been physically assaulted by intimate partner (a) in the past 12 months and (b) ever in any relationship.  Statistics on prevalence of violence against women by intimate partners are obtained from the World Health Organization Database on Violence against Women, a compilation of statistics from research reports and documents on violence against women, developed and maintained by the World Health Organization, Violence and Injury Prevention Unit, Cluster for Social Change and Mental Health.

Prevalence statistics shown refer to violence wherein the aggressor is a current or former intimate partner, i.e. husband, boyfriend or cohabiting partner. The prevalence statistics presented refer only to physical violence. Psychological abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and rape in the relationship are not included in the statistics. In reality, evidence shows that the different forms of violence coexist in domestic violence.

Physical violence, as used here, refers to violence at least at the level of physical contact. However, it is important to note that each study used different definitions. For example, some studies defined physical violence as "more than slaps", which would exclude pushes and slaps. Other studies defined physical violence as "at least at the level of hitting", which then includes slaps but excludes pushing or shoving, which could mean, for example, being pushed down the stairs. Comparisons between studies must therefore be made with caution.

As much as possible, only studies based on representative samples of women are included. A few studies have national coverage, but most are limited to selected areas or cities in the country as indicated in the column "Coverage". Further limitation of study coverage, if any (e.g. low-income women) is likewise indicated. Presence of violence is self-reported by women, gathered through face-to-face or  telephone interview or self-administered questionnaire. Some interviews were not conducted in private, which would inhibit women's ability to disclose violence by their partners. In this situation, reported rates will underestimate the levels of violence.

References:

Egypt
Egypt Demographic and Health Survey 1995(Cairo, National Population Council and Calverton, Maryland, Macro International, 1995).

Ethiopia
N. Deyessa et al., "Magnitude, type and outcomes of physical violence against married women in Butajira, Southern Ethiopia" (1996 ), Unpublished.

Nigeria
O. Odujinrin, "Wife battering in Nigeria", International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, No. 41 (1993).

South Africa
South Africa: Demographic and Health Survey 1998. Preliminary report (South Africa, Departmentof Health, and Calverton, Maryland, Macro International, 1999).

Uganda
A.K. Blanc et al., Negotiating Reproductive Outcomes in Uganda, (Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics and Calverton, Maryland, Macro International, 1996).

Chile: Santiago
A. Morrison et al., "The socio-economic impact of domestic violence against women in Chile and Nicaragua" (Washington, D.C., Inter-American Development Bank, 1997).

Chile: Metro Santiago and Santiago province
S. Larrain-Heiremans, "Violencia familiar y la situacion de la mujer en Chile" (1993), unpublished.

Colombia
Colombia, Encuesta National de Demografia y Salud 1995 (Colombia, PROFAMILIA, DHS/Institute for Resource Development, and Calverton, Maryland, Macro International, 1995).

Mexico: Durango City
G. Alvarado-Zaldivar et al., "Prevalencia de violencia doméstica en la ciudad de Durango", Salud pública de México, vol. 40, No. 6 (1998).

Mexico: Metropolitan Guadalajara
J.C. Ramirez Rodriguez et al., "Una espada de doble filo: la salud reproductiva y la violencia  doméstica contra la mujer", paper presented at a seminar entitled "Salud reproductiva en América Latina y el Caribe: temas y problemas", Brazil, 1996.

Nicaragua: Leon
M.C. Ellsberg, "Candies in hell: domestic violence against women in Nicaragua" (Umea University, Sweden, 1997).

Nicaragua: Managua
A. Morrison et al., "The socio-economic impact of domestic violence against women in Chile and Nicaragua" (Washington, D.C., Inter-American Development Bank, 1997).

Nicaragua: national
Nicaragua: Encuesta national de demografia y salud 1998 (Calverton, Maryland, MacroInternational, 1998).

Paraguay
Paraguay: Encuesta nacional de demografia y salud reproductiva, 1995-1996, (Centro Paraguaya de Estudios de Poblacion, 1996).

Peru
E. Gonzales de Olarte et al., "Poverty and domestic violence against women in Metropolitan Lima" (Washington, D.C.: Inter-American Development Bank, 1997).

Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: Encuesta de salud reproductiva 1995-1996, Resumen de los Hallazgos (Universidadde Puerto Rico,  and Atlanta, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998).

Bangladesh
S.R. Schuler et al., "Credit programs, patriarchy and men's violence against women in rural Bangladesh", Social Science and Medicine, vol. 43, No. 12 (1996).

China
C.S. Tang, "Wife abuse in Hong Kong Chinese families: a community survey", Journal of Family Violence, vol. 14, No. 2 (1999).

India: rural areas in 2 states
S. Jejeebhoy et al., "State accountability for wife-beating: the Indian challenge", Lancet, No. 348 (Supplement) (1997).

India: 6 states
IndiaSAFE Steering Committee, IndiaSAFE Final Report, (Washington D.C.: InternationalCenter for Research on Women, 1999).

Occupied Palestinian Territory
M.M. Haj-Yahia," The incidence of wife-abuse and battering and some sociodemographic correlates as revealed in two national surveys in  Palestinian society" (Ramallah, Palestinian Authority, Besir Center for Research and Development, 1998).

Philippines
"Domestic violence and rape", in National Safe Motherhood Survey 1993 (Calverton, Maryland, Macro International, 1994).

Thailand
K.L. Hoffman et al., "Physical wife abuse in a non-western society: an integrated theoretical approach", Journal of Marriage and the Family, No. 56 (1994).

Turkey
P. Ilkkaracan et al., "Exploring the context of women's sexuality in Eastern Turkey", Reproductive Health Matters, vol. 6, No. 12 (1998).

Australia: Metropolitan Melbourne
D. Mazza et al., "Physical, sexual and emotional violence against women: a general practice-based prevalence study", Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 164, No. 1 (1996).

Australia: national
Australia Bureau of Statistics, Women's Safety: Australia (Belconnen, Australia, 1998).

Canada: national
K. Rodgers, "Wife assault: the findings of a national survey", Juristat Service Bulletin, vol. 14, No. 9 (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 1994).

Canada: Toronto
M. Randall et al., "Sexual violence in women's lives: findings from the women's safety project, a community-based survey", Violence Against Women, vol. 1, No. 1 (1995).

Republic of Moldova
F. Serbanescu et al., Reproductive Health Survey, Moldova 1997, Final Report (Atlanta, Centers for Disease Control, 1998).

Switzerland
L. Gillioz et al., "Domination masculine et violences envers les femmes dans la famille enSuisse" (Geneva, 1996), unpublished.

United Kingdom
J. Mooney, "The hidden figure: domestic violence in North London" (Middlesex University, 1993).

United States
United States Department of Justice, "Prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: findings from the national violence against women survey" (Washington, D.C., 1998).