Older women and women with disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse. Still, their position is mostly buried in most global and national violence-related data, according to two new papers issued today by the World Health Organization (WHO). The health organization is appealing for improved international research to guarantee that these women are counted and that their special needs are acknowledged and met.
Among women aged 60 years and older, a review conducted by WHO found that physical and sexual intimate partner violence remained the most frequently experienced form of abuse. However, as partners aged, some women reported a shift from predominantly physical and sexual violence to psychological violence, including threats of abandonment and other controlling behaviors.
“Older women and women with disabilities are under-represented in much of the available research on violence against women, which undermines the ability of programs to meet their particular needs,” said Dr. Lynnmarie Sardinha, Technical Officer at WHO and the UN Special Programme on Human Reproduction (HRP) for Violence against Women Data and Measurement, and author of the briefs. “Understanding how diverse women and girls are differently affected, and if and how they are accessing services, is critical to ending violence in all its forms.”
There is evidence of gender-based violence among these populations, and data reveals a high prevalence. One systematic analysis showed that women with impairments were more likely to experience intimate partner violence than those without, while another reported higher rates of sexual violence.
Older women and women with disabilities can be highly isolated when violence occurs, making it more difficult for them to escape and report the abuse. Stigma and discrimination can further reduce access to services or information or result in their accounts of violence being dismissed by responders.
WHO recommends several measures to address evidence gaps. Noting that older women are currently represented in only about 10% of data on violence against women, this includes extending the age limit for survey participation. They also suggest incorporating questions relating to different types of violence, encompassing a broad spectrum of disabilities.
The two briefs, Measuring Violence Against Older Women and Measuring Violence against Women with Disability, stress that older women and women with disabilities and their representative organizations should be engaged in all phases and aspects of survey design and implementation, to ensure they are appropriate and user-friendly. Formats like Braille or EasyRead can expand accessibility.
The briefs are the first in a series on neglected forms of violence. They were developed as part of the UN Women-WHO Joint Programme on Violence against Women Data through HRP. They are intended for use by researchers, national statistics offices, social care and welfare services, and others involved in data collection on violence against women. Funding has been provided by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office of the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Alongside the briefs, the WHO has developed a survey module to support data collection on violence against older women, which can be used alongside existing surveys. Resources to support the inclusion of measures of disability in such surveys will be released later in the year.
