The World Health Organisation (WHO) says older women and women with disabilities face a particular risk of abuse, yet their situation is largely hidden in most global and national violence-related data.

The organisation said this in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the information is based on two new publications released on March 27.

It stated that “the health agency is calling for better research across countries that will help to ensure these women are counted, and that their specific needs are understood and addressed” and “where there is evidence on gender-based violence among these groups, data shows high prevalence.”

The global body also stated that one systematic review found greater risks of intimate partner violence for women with disabilities compared with those without, while another review found higher rates of sexual violence.

It quoted the organisation’s Technical Officer, Dr Lynnmarie Sardinha, as saying that “older women and women with disabilities are under-represented in much of the available research on violence against women.

“The under-representation undermines the ability of programmes to meet their particular needs,” it stated.

Ms Sardinha, who is also the UN special programme on human reproduction (HRP) for violence against women data and measurement,

and the author of the briefs said there was a need to understand such women.

“Understanding how diverse women and girls are differently affected, and how they access services, is critical to ending violence in all its forms,” she said.

According to her, intimate partner and sexual violence are the most common forms of GBV globally and affect around one in three women.

She said older women and women with disabilities are still subjected to these types of violence but also face specific risks and additional forms

of abuse, “sometimes in the hands of caregivers or healthcare professionals,” and “these include coercive and controlling behaviours such as withholding of medicines, assistive devices or other aspects of care, and financial abuse.”

The technical officer added that among women aged 60 years and older, a review conducted by WHO found that physical or sexual intimate

partner violence remained the most frequently experienced form of abuse.

She, however, said, “As partners aged, some women reported a shift from predominantly physical and sexual violence to psychological

violence, including threats of abandonment and other controlling behaviours.

“Older women and women with disabilities can be extremely isolated when violence occurs, making it difficult for them to escape and report the abuse.

“Stigma and discrimination can further reduce access to services or information, or result in their accounts of violence being dismissed by responders.”

(NAN)