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Better data needed on violence against women: UNFPA
Representatives from several Asian countries across South Asia have highlighted the need to gather improved national data on the prevalence of violence against women, in a workshop organized by the United Nations Population Fund Asia-Pacific Regional Office (UNFPA APRO) in Bangkok this week
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R
epresentatives from several Asian countries across South Asia have highlighted the need to gather improved national data on the prevalence of violence against women, in a workshop organized by the United Nations Population Fund Asia-Pacific Regional Office (UNFPA APRO) in Bangkok this week.
They also agreed to strengthen the evidence base to help governments formulate more effective strategies to tackle the issue.
UNFPA APRO ad interim regional director Lubna Baqi said key studies in the past, collating prevalence data from many countries around the world, estimated that at least one out of three women would experience physical or sexual violence at some point in her lifetime, often at the hands of their intimate partners, including their spouses.
'Many researchers feel the real number may be much higher," she said in a statement on Tuesday.
Baqi further said that although prevalence studies remained the best way to obtain such data, the data-gathering process must be strengthened and scaled up significantly.
"Moreover, women who experience violence must be able to report it to relevant authorities, as well as share their experiences with those conducting studies on violence against women, in a safe and enabling environment free of fear and intimidation," she pointed out.
UNFPA APRO has been pressing for robust and safe data collection on violence against women to support policies and programs in the region. Two years ago, it held a workshop together with the ASEAN Committee on Women to strengthen national capacities to collect data on violence against women in the ASEAN region.
This week's workshop for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries is meant to do the same across South Asia.
Participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will hear the experiences of other countries, including some in the ASEAN region, in scaling up their responses to violence against women, including better ways in which to conduct prevalence studies. (ebf)
