Violence towards girls is pervasive within the Americas, new estimates present – PAHO/WHO

One in three girls within the Region of the Americas experiences bodily or sexual violence in her lifetime

Washington, D.C., 19 November 2025 (PAHO/WHO) – Violence towards girls and ladies continues to be a critical and protracted drawback within the Region of the Americas, in keeping with new estimates introduced at the moment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN companions. The knowledge, launched forward of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence towards Women and Girls on 25 November, reveal that one in three girls aged 15 and older within the Region has skilled bodily or sexual violence sooner or later in her life.

Intimate accomplice violence stays the most typical type of abuse: one in 4 girls aged 15-49 has skilled bodily or sexual violence from a accomplice, whereas one in eight has suffered sexual violence from somebody apart from a accomplice. Young girls face early dangers, with 21% of these aged 15-19 experiencing accomplice violence earlier than reaching 20, whereas older girls will not be spared: 23% of girls aged 65 and above report such violence.

“These figures of women affected in our Region are so striking because violence is preventable. Collecting high-quality data on violence against women is the first step toward giving this important issue the visibility and urgency it requires,” stated Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), regional workplace of WHO for the Americas. “There is much that we know, and much that we can do together to prevent and respond to violence in all its forms. We must act to prevent violence, support survivors, and invest in strategies that break the cycles of abuse.”

A persistent disaster

Despite growing consciousness, nationwide multisectoral insurance policies, and well being service interventions, progress in decreasing violence towards girls has been sluggish. Over the previous twenty years, prevalence charges of intimate accomplice violence have remained largely unchanged, and solely a tiny decline of 0.2% per yr has been noticed globally. It is unlikely that nations within the Americas will attain Sustainable Development Goal 5.2, which requires the elimination of all types of violence towards girls.

“Shame and stigma associated with sexual violence hinder reporting, suggesting that actual numbers are likely to be much higher,” stated Britta Baer, PAHO Advisor on Violence Prevention. “These figures underscore the urgency for action across all countries in the Region, especially strengthening timely access to post-rape care.”

The new estimates symbolize probably the most complete research on the prevalence of intimate accomplice and non-partner sexual violence. The estimates analyze and current knowledge from 2000 to 2023 (final yr of accessible knowledge) throughout 168 nations and territories, together with 29 within the Americas. This supplies an important foundation for knowledgeable coverage choices.

Violence towards girls has extreme and long-lasting impacts, together with bodily accidents, sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, melancholy, and, in probably the most excessive circumstances, femicide. Children uncovered to violence at dwelling usually tend to expertise or perpetrate abuse as adults, perpetuating the cycle of violence.

A name for motion

PAHO continues to assist nations in strengthening prevention and response via evidence-based methods, together with the RESPECT framework. RESPECT identifies seven interventions to forestall violence: strengthening relationship expertise; empowering girls and ladies; guaranteeing companies; decreasing poverty; creating enabling environments; stopping baby and adolescent abuse; and reworking unequal gender attitudes, beliefs, and norms.

The well being sector performs an important function in early identification of at-risk teams, offering first-line assist, high-quality scientific care, and connecting survivors to broader companies. Ensuring that survivors are listened to, believed, and supported is a minimal requirement for an efficient response.

PAHO has lengthy labored with governments throughout the Americas to:

• Promote the strategic use of information for decision-making and advocacy;
• Support the event and revision of nationwide prevention insurance policies and plans;
• Strengthen well being system capacities to reply to survivors, together with supporting nations in operationalizing LIVES—a WHO coaching curriculum for health-care suppliers— inside well being companies;
• Facilitate regional dialogue and alternate of experiences to scale up efficient interventions.

As a part of the 16 Days of Activism 2025, PAHO will host a hybrid occasion on 24 November in collaboration with UN Women and the World Bank to current the brand new estimates on the prevalence of violence towards girls within the Americas. This occasion goals to open a dialogue on interventions which have confirmed efficient in stopping, responding to, and eliminating violence towards girls and ladies within the area.

“It is essential to remember that violence against women is a challenge present in every country of our Region,” Dr. Barbosa emphasised. “This is why it is — and must continue to be — a regional priority and a shared commitment to make this form of violence visible, strengthen decision-making, and sustain the investments needed to prevent and respond to it effectively.”

About the report

The report, Violence against women prevalence estimates, 2023  was developed by WHO and the UNDP-UNFPA-UNICEF-WHO-World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) on behalf of, and with the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence Against Women Estimation and Data. The Working Group contains representatives from WHO, UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD).

Modelling is used to reinforce comparability of estimates throughout nations and areas to the extent allowed by present knowledge. All surveys probably underestimate the precise prevalence of violence towards girls as there’ll at all times be girls who don’t disclose these experiences, particularly the place this violence is very stigmatized. Sexual violence is especially underreported in lots of settings. Poorly designed or carried out surveys in some locations additional exacerbate this underestimation.