Despite its ghastly nature, sexual violence is a form of violence most hidden. For several reasons. One being shame, felt by rape victims even in the European cultural space, as opposed to those suffering from other forms of violence. Depending on the region, a person raped may face excommunication, even by family, as well as legal consequences – in some countries, the victim will be punished for adultery.
A study by South African Medical Research Council, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and World Health organisation says that every 14th woman aged over 15, in this world, is victim of sexual violence. The study does not treat domestic violence, only looking into the kind of sexual violence where women are victimised outside their homes, by persons not their partners.
According to the study, in Turkey, India and Bangladesh, 3 to 4.5 per cent of women will admit to being sexual abuse victims, while in Australia, for instance, the percentage is 16.4, and in North America – 13. Comparing the figures, it is easy to understand the trouble with such studies: unlikely that in the countries with high anti-women violence statistics, numbers of sexual violence would be that low. Rather, this reveals the insecurity felt by the women, fearing to acknowledge victimhood. The same goes for Eastern-Europe – in a region also known for human trafficking, only 6.9 per cent of women admit to being sexual violence victims.
Even with a UN Security Council resolution passed regarding need for special protection of women and children in conflict areas, and rape treated as violation of human rights, some governments still stand out by unwillingness to deal with the issue. Judging by the woman raped in an Indian bus: it took a horrible act of violence for the government to grasp the ladies’ plight, with mass demonstrations following. In the Syrian conflict, three percent of pregnancies are thought to result from rape. Even at mass rallies demanding a better future, women aren’t protected from sexual violence.
Even so, all starts by statistics. In order to fight something, quantity of it needs to be known. For that, victims must feel secure enough to come out with their testimonies. Violence against women is not a female issue alone. It’s a far wider issue of security in society, closely linked to violence towards intimate partners and children. Neither can it be considered a third world or developing nations problem – the world is travelling around, carrying all its problems along.
And: not only women fall victim to sexual abuse. According to various studies, a tenth of rape victims are men, mostly in penal institutions. To our knowledge, that is. As long as sexual violence is mostly seen as women’s problem only, no one will know how things really are.