La donna e la violenza: epidemiologia e strategie di intervento

The resolution WHA49.25, adopted by the 49th World Health Assem-bly in 1996, defines violence ‘a global public health problem’ of great importance. It is the first comprehensive global analysis of the problem of violence. The ‘World Report on Violence and Health’ is the pillar of the entire global campaign on preventing violence and aims to increase awareness of the impact of violence on public health and the role that pub- lic health can play in the implementation of effective prevention strate-gies. One of the most common forms of violence is that of gender, usually perpetrated against the women by their partners. Gender-based violence occurs in all countries, regardless of the social group, and of economic, religious or cultural factors. Scientific evidence shows that sharing their lives with an abusive partner has a profound impact on women’s health. The above data confirm that violence is a widespread phenomenon and may not be relegated to the sphere of private relationships: rather is a problem that affects society as a whole and must be addressed urgently, energically and in a coordinated manner. Therefore violence today can be prevented by using the same powerful tools deployed successfully for addressing other health problems. Like other health problems, it is not istributed evenly among the various population groups or in different situations. Many of the factors that increase the risk of violence are present in the various forms of violence and are modifiable. Important is therefore the primary prevention.