BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Approaching this year’s International Women’s Day, UN Women, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and CARICOM have joined forces to better understand how women experience intimate violence with a view to reducing and eliminating this scourge in the Caribbean. The three organisations, on March 4, launched national prevalence surveys on gender-based violence for five Caribbean countries in Bridgetown, Barbados.
- Women aged 15-64 have experienced at least one form of violence ranging from 39% to as high as 55%;
- 28% to 38% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner in their lifetime;
- Physical violence ranges from 25% to 35%.
- Emotional violence, which is usually the most commonly reported form of violence ranged from 29% to 40% of the women surveyed. It also needs to be said that the lack of physical scars makes no form of violence a lesser concern. All forms of violence cause grave harm.