WHO Flags Alarming Surge in Violence Against Women; One in Five Indian Women Faced Abuse in 2023
Mumbai, 25th November 2025: Violence against women continues to surge globally, with a new World Health Organization (WHO) report highlighting deeply disturbing levels of abuse in India and around the world. The study, released this week, reveals that one in five Indian women aged 15 to 49 experienced intimate partner violence in 2023, while nearly 30% have faced such abuse at least once in their lives, underscoring a crisis that shows no signs of slowing.
The report, based on data from 168 countries collected between 2000 and 2023, also flags a troubling global trend: a steep decline in funding for women’s safety initiatives, even as risks continue to rise.
Global Picture Mirrors India’s Grim Reality
According to WHO estimates, 840 million women worldwide—approximately one in three—have endured physical or sexual violence, either from intimate partners or others. Despite years of international advocacy, the report notes virtually no meaningful progress since 2000, prompting renewed calls for urgent government action.
In India, 4% of women have reported sexual violence by non-partners. Although below the global average of 8.4%, the WHO stresses that the figure “cannot be ignored,” given the severe underreporting associated with such crimes.
The report also highlights a sharp decline in global commitment to preventing violence against women. Only 0.2% of international development aid in 2022 was allocated to prevention programs—a figure that dropped even further in 2025. This downturn comes at a time when conflict, humanitarian emergencies, and climate-driven disasters are increasing women’s vulnerability.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned the persistent neglect of women’s safety, calling violence against women “one of the oldest and most overlooked injustices in human history.”
“No society can claim to be safe or just when half its population lives in fear,” he said, urging governments to drastically strengthen their protective frameworks.
With just five years left to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating all forms of violence against women, WHO warns that the world is nowhere close to meeting the target. Without immediate investment and long-term, evidence-backed strategies, the crisis is likely to intensify.
WHO’s Key Recommendations
The organization has urged countries to act on the following priorities:
Scale up proven violence-prevention programmes
Strengthen legal protections centred on women
Improve access to justice and comprehensive survivor healthcare
Establish strong systems for data collection and monitoring
Invest substantially in women’s safety, rights, and economic empowerment
The report concludes with a stark message: without swift, decisive, and adequately funded action, millions more women will be pushed into danger in the years to come.
