Women’s and Men’s Reports of Past-Year Prevalence of IPV and Rape, and Women’s Risk Factors for IPV Journal Article

This multi-country study in Asia and the Pacific examines the past-year prevalence of male-perpetrated intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner rape, comparing reports from women and men, and identifying key drivers of IPV for women. Drawing on population-based surveys of over 8,000 participants across Cambodia, China, Papua New Guinea, and Sri Lanka, the research found that women’s reports of past-year IPV were broadly consistent with men’s self-reports, while experiences of emotional and economic abuse were higher among women.

The study highlights four main groups of risk factors for women’s exposure to IPV: poverty, childhood trauma, quarrelling and limited relationship control, and partner factors such as substance abuse, unemployment, and infidelity. Importantly, the analysis also identified a resilience pathway, showing that reduced poverty, higher education, and gender-equitable ideas can help protect women from IPV.

These findings underscore the value of interventions that combine economic empowerment, gender and relationship skills training, and education for girls and women. They also support the use of women’s reports for monitoring Sustainable Development Goal 5.2, while emphasising the need for further research on the validity of both men’s and women’s reporting of violence.