A study has linked Sexual Violence Against Children (SVAC) to 290,000 deaths worldwide in 2023, predominantly from suicide, HIV/AIDS, and type 2 diabetes.
The study also linked Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) to 145,000 deaths, mostly from homicide, suicide, and HIV/AIDS in the same year.
Published on Wednesday on the website of The Lancet, the study was titled “Disease Burden Attributable to IPV Against Females and SVAC, 1990 to 2023: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2023.”
Funded by the Gates Foundation, the research was conducted by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
The study estimated the prevalence and burden of IPV and SVAC in 204 countries, assessing data by age and sex, and identified 14 health consequences linked to SVAC and eight to IPV.
It stated that IPV and SVAC are major contributors to the global health burden, affecting a wide range of individual health outcomes, with mental health disorders accounting for the largest share of disease burden among survivors.
Globally, the study revealed that among women aged 15 to 49, IPV and SVAC are among the leading causes of premature death and disability. It said IPV and SVAC ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, among all health risks for premature death and disability, while among men, SVAC ranked 11th.
SVAC was linked to 14 health conditions, including suicide, substance use disorders, and diabetes, while IPV was linked to eight negative health outcomes, including mental health conditions, physical injuries, and HIV.
Among SVAC’s 14 negative health outcomes, mental health disorders—especially anxiety among women and schizophrenia among men—contributed most to lost healthy years, alongside self-harm. Substance use disorders were also significant, particularly among males in high-income countries.
The study estimated that in 2023, 608 million females aged 15 and older had ever been exposed to IPV, while one billion individuals aged 15 and older had experienced sexual violence during childhood.
It added that these exposures together contributed to more than 50 million Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) globally, with 32.2 million from SVAC and 18.5 million from IPV. DALYs represent the total years of healthy life lost due to both premature mortality and years lived with disability.
The study estimated that nearly 30,000 women were killed by their partners in 2023 alone, highlighting an urgent need for enhanced protection for at-risk individuals.
Countries with the highest age-standardized prevalence of IPV were primarily located in Sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania.
In Nigeria, the study revealed that deaths among women linked to IPV rose from 1,940 in 1990 to 7,410 in 2023, while deaths linked to SVAC increased from 1,010 to 4,800. For men, deaths linked to SVAC rose from 1,490 in 1990 to 4,960 in 2023.
The report urged global and national leaders to treat IPV and SVAC as urgent public health priorities, backed by sustained funding and survivor-focused interventions. It emphasized that targeted measures should address variations in exposure while ensuring universal access for all survivors.
According to the report, the findings also reveal a rarely discussed link between SVAC and chronic diseases such as diabetes and asthma.
“Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to violence during childhood might contribute to the development of these conditions through mechanisms including chronic stress and inflammation, pathways known to influence metabolic and immune function,” it stated.
