According to a report by the WHO and partner agencies, approximately 840 million women worldwide, nearly one in three, have experienced partner or sexual violence in their lifetime[1][2]. In the past 12 months, 316 million women have been subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner, representing approximately 11% of women aged 15 years and older[1][2]. There has been very little progress in reducing intimate partner violence: the rate has declined by only about 0.2% per year over the past two decades[2]. The report also states that 263 million women aged 15 and over have experienced sexual violence from a person who was not their partner, a figure that is likely to be underestimated due to stigma and fears about reporting[1][2]. Violence has widespread health consequences, including unplanned pregnancies, higher risk of sexually transmitted infections and depression, and often begins in adolescence (e.g. 12.5 million girls aged 15-19 experienced such violence in the last year)[1][2]. Regional variations are significant: for example, in Oceania (excluding Australia and NZ), the proportion of women who have experienced violence from a partner in the last year was 38%, more than three times the global average of 11%[2]. The report highlights the critical underfunding of prevention and care programmes (just 0.2% of global development assistance in 2022) and calls on governments to expand prevention, strengthen services, invest in data systems and enforce laws[2]. As part of the publication, the RESPECT Recommendation was updated to offer seven areas of intervention for the prevention of violence against women[2].