La violence

WOMEN - This is a "pandemic" according to the UN. One woman in three has already been the victim of domestic violence in the world, warned the WHO in a series of studies published in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet Friday 21 November. Despite the increased attention paid to violence against women and girls in recent years, they are still at an "unacceptable" level, according to WHO, who considers that the efforts made are insufficient.

Worldwide, between 100 and 140 million girls and women have undergone genital mutilation, some 70 million girls have been married before their 18th birthday, often against their will, and 7 per cent of women are at risk of Rape in their lives. "No magic wand will be able to suppress violence against women, but we have evidence that changes in attitudes and behaviors are possible and can be achieved in less than a generation," says Charlotte Watts, a professor at the School Hygiene and tropical medicine in London.