A woman lights candles next to cardboard silhouettes representing women killed as a result of domestic violence in Bucharest, Romania. The United Nations defines violence against women as any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. Photo: AP
A man reads a newspaper whose headline in Spanish reads "A woman was murdered", at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Guatemala City on Thursday. According to the United Nations, at least one-third of women around the world have been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in their lifetimes. Photo: AP
Women release balloons during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, in Guatemala City on Thursday. The WHO and partners world-wide collaborate and help decrease violence against women through initiatives that help to identify, quantify and respond to the problem. Photo: AP
Women lie on a street in front of the National Congress during a march marking International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Guatemala City. Intimate partner and sexual violence are serious problems that affect a large proportion of women, in both stable societies and in conflict and crisis. Photo: AP
Protestors carry a mock coffin representing a woman killed in domestic violence, in Tel Aviv. The social and economic costs of violence against women are enormous. Women may suffer isolation, inability to work, loss of wages, lack of participation in regular activities, and limited ability to care for themselves and their children. Photo: AP
An activist participates in a candle light vigil in Dhaka on Thursday. Forced marriages, child marriages, trafficking of women and girls for labour and sex, honour killing by family members, to name a few, violate the human rights of women and girls, yet they are widely practiced in many countries. Photo: AP
Participants at a seminar on violence against women in Mysore to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Women suffer health consequences such as injuries or even death, problems in sexual, reproductive, mental and physical health which result directly from violent acts or from the long-term effects of violence. Photo: The Hindu
Members of the Bangladesh Working Women organisation shout slogans during a rally in Dhaka. WHO stresses the critical need for different government Ministries and community groups to take joint action to curb violence against women. Photo: AP
Turkish women and human rights activists march during a protest, in Ankara. Increasing education and opportunities for women and girls, better awareness of violence, improving their self-esteem and negotiating skills, and reducing gender inequities in communities are some of the interventions which can help in promising results. Photo: AP
