A study published in The Lancet shows that intimate partner violence is the fourth leading risk factor for premature death and disability among women aged 15 to 49 worldwide. It outranks many established health threats and links to more suicides than femicides. In Brazil, it ranks third, following obesity and childhood sexual violence.
Researchers from the IHME at the University of Washington analyzed 2023 Global Burden of Disease data to underscore the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) and childhood sexual violence (SVAC) on women's health. Worldwide, IPV trails only unprotected sex, child and maternal malnutrition, and iron deficiency as risks for this age group. SVAC ranks fifth.
In 2023, 145,000 women aged 15 or older died due to IPV, with suicide accounting for 60,000 deaths—twice the 28,000 from femicide. For SVAC, there were 290,000 deaths, mostly from self-harm. These violences connect to conditions like depression, self-harm, HIV/Aids, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
"These findings fundamentally challenge the persistent view that SVAC and IPV are primarily social or criminal justice issues and reinforce their status as major public health priorities," states lead author Luisa Sorio Flor, assistant professor at IHME.
In Brazil, obesity tops the risks, followed by SVAC and IPV. Experts like Dandara Ramos from Abrasco stress the need for a SUS ecosystem to support victims, including adolescents. Rosires Pereira de Andrade from Febrasgo notes that services like the one at Curitiba's Hospital de Clínicas see one woman daily but have low follow-up rates, and few sites offer legal abortions for rape cases.
The authors warn that such violences harm not only survivors but collective well-being, human capital, and national development, with long-term economic implications. Prevention, immediate care, and extended follow-up are crucial.
