Definition and concepts |
Definition:
This indicator measures the percentage of women and girls aged 15 years and older who have experienced sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner, in the previous 12 months.
Definition of sexual violence against women and girls is presented in the next section (Concepts).
Concepts:
According to the UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993), Violence against Women is “Any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. Violence against women shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following: […], Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women and forced prostitution […]”. See here for full definition: http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/48/a48r104.htm
Sexual violence is defined as any sort of harmful or unwanted sexual behaviour that is imposed on someone. It includes acts of abusive sexual contact, forced engagement in sexual acts, attempted or completed sexual acts without consent, incest, sexual harassment, etc. However, in most surveys that collect data on sexual violence against women and girls by non-partners the information collected is limited to forcing someone into sexual intercourse when she does not want to, as well as attempting to force someone to perform a sexual act against her will or attempting to force her into sexual intercourse.
For a more detailed definition of sexual violence against women see Guidelines for Producing Statistics on Violence against Women- Statistical Surveys (UN, 2014).
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Data sources |
The main sources of intimate partner violence prevalence data are (1) specialized national surveys dedicated to measuring violence against women and (2) international household surveys that include a module on experiences of violence by women, such as the DHS.
Although administrative data from health, police, courts, justice and social services, among other services used by survivors of violence, can provide information on violence against women and girls, these do not produce prevalence data, but rather incidence data or number of cases received in/reported to these services. We know that many abused women do not report violence and those who do, tend to be only the most serious cases. Therefore, administrative data should not be used as a data source for this indicator.
For more information on recommended practices in production of violence against women statistics see: UN Guidelines for Producing Statistics on Violence against Women- Statistical Surveys (UN, 2014).
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Comment and limitations |
Comparability:
The availability of comparable data remains a challenge in this area as many data collection efforts have relied on different survey methodologies and used different definitions of sexual violence and different survey question formulation. Diverse age groups are also often utilized. Willingness to discuss experiences of violence and understanding of relevant concepts may also differ according to the cultural context and this can affect reported prevalence levels.
Efforts and investment will be required to develop an internationally-agreed standard and definition of sexual violence by non-partners that will enable comparison across countries.
Regularity of data production:
Since 1995, only some 40 countries have conducted more than one survey on violence against women and girls. Obtaining data on violence against women and girls is a costly and time-consuming exercise, no matter if they are obtained through stand-alone dedicated surveys or through modules inserted in other surveys. Not all VAW surveys, however, collect information on non-intimate partner violence. Monitoring this indicator with certain periodicity may be a challenge if sustained capacities are not built and financial resources are not available.
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Method of computation |
This indicator calls for disaggregation by age group and place of occurrence. No standard definitions and methods have been globally agreed yet to collect data on the place where the violence occurs, therefore this is not presented at this point in the computation method below.
Number of women and girls aged 15 years and above who experience sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months divided by the number of women and girls aged 15 years and above in the population multiplied by 100.
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Related indicators |
5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
11.7.2: Proportion of persons victim of physical or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status and pace of occurrence, in the previous 12 months
16.1.3: Proportion of population subjected to physical, psychological or sexual violence in the previous 12 months
16.2.3: Proportion of young women and men aged 18-29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18
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