The UK’s attempts to fight poverty around the world are undermined by widespread violence against women and the government should make ending these abuses a key part of its foreign policy, a new report from ActionAid said today.

The report, “Destined to fail? How violence against women is undoing development”, recommends the UK follow the USA’s example and appoint a Minister on violence against women. This Minister would ensure that the UK puts this issue at the heart of its foreign policy and international aid and development efforts.

Shocking levels of abuse

ActionAid’s research shows how women around the world suffer shocking levels of abuse, with one in three women worldwide suffering violence at some point. Every year 60 million girls are sexually assaulted either at or going to and from school and up to five per cent of women report being physically abused whilst pregnant. Women who have experienced violence are up to three times more likely to be living with HIV.

In addition to the psychological and social costs, this violence has huge monetary costs. These can be directly, for policing, courts and health care, or indirectly from lost opportunities through missing education or having to take time off work. In Uganda violence costs an average household over £3 per incident while the average income is £223.

A barrier to eradicating poverty

The UN’s Millennium Development Goals – poor countries’ targets for education, health and good government – will not be met unless violence against women is reduced. Yet the international community’s approach to this violence is piecemeal and inconsistent.

Zohra Moosa, the report’s author, said: "Violence against women is an appalling but depressingly common abuse of women’s rights. We can’t afford to ignore its impact on individuals and upon whole societies.

"Violence against women is a fundamental barrier to eradicating poverty. It drains public resources, undermines human capital and lowers economic productivity. Half the world is unable to fully meet the challenges of the day because they are fighting for their safety.

"That’s why the government must follow America’s lead and create a Minister whose job is to put ending violence against women at the heart of the UK’s foreign policy. Women’s right to live free of violence is falling through the cracks because no one is directly responsible for monitoring it."

The new report says that this ministerial position should work across the Department for International Development, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry for Defence, and monitor and enforce UK commitments on violence against women internationally.