UN: Latin America, Caribbean World's Most 'Violent Region' for Women

The United Nations has said that Latin America and the Caribbean are the most violent regions in the world for women.

A report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP)-UN Women stated, "In Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of countries with national women protection policies has risen from 24 in 2013 (74 per cent) to 31 in 2016 (94 per cent), yet, the region is still the most violent in the world for women (WHO 2013)."

The report was presented in Panama at the regional parliament (Parlatino) with over 120 legislators.

The women outside of relationships are the most victimised by sexual violence. The violence is second-highest for those who were a couple, the report said.

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"The number of female homicides (femicides/feminicides) is on the rise, with two in every five resulting from domestic violence. Moreover, about 30 per cent of women have been victims of violence by their partner and 10.7 per cent have suffered sexual violence not related to an intimate partner, according to World Health Organisation figures," stated the report.

The report states three of the 10 countries with the highest rates of rape of women and girls were in the Caribbean.

The also report mentioned that even though the region has shown great progress in the "normative frameworks" that recognize violence against women as a social phenomenon, sustainable development and the protection of human rights, the problem still persists, with "high rates of violence against women remaining a dire challenge".

The UN report further noted that 24 of the 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have laws against domestic violence. Only nine of them, however, have passed legislation that tackles a range of other violence against women in public or private.

The report further calls for generating social pacts among governments, the private sector and civil society to engage all relevant factors.

Picture Credits: IndiaTimes

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