The United Nations General Assembly Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life".
Violence against women and girls is a violation of human rights with serious life-long consequences (physical, emotional, sexual) and which prevents their full participation in society.
Global estimates published by the WHO indicate that around one in three, 30% of women worldwide, have experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence by a third party at some point in their lives.
Violence against women in politics (VAWPP) is another form of gender-based violence against women and refers to any act or threat of physical, sexual or psychological violence that prevents women from exercising and seeing their political rights, as well as certain human rights, realized:
Murders, kidnappings and beatings, often with the intention of forcing women to resign or abandon political life.
Threats, defamation, harassment, online abuse and economic violence, such as denial of salary or political funding, theft or damage to property.
Sexual harassment, unwanted innuendo and sexual assault, rape, threats with sexual or pornographic components or images modified with the intention of publicly questioning the abilities of women and humiliating them.