According to the World Health Organization, violence against girls and women throughout the world causes more death and disability among women in the 15 to 44 age group than cancer, malaria, traffic accidents and even war. This kind of assault is often associated with sexual violence, including rape. Marital abuse, however, is not the only threat. Many women and girls are victims of sexual coercion by male relatives, classmates or neighbours. The fact that many of these men may have multiple partners or practise unsafe sex does not seem to prove a deterrent.
Coercion can take the form of wanton rape.
Similar situations have arisen in the West Indies, where gangs have been assaulting women and girls as part of initiation ceremonies. Rape has also become a deliberate weapon of war in many conflicts such as Central Africa and the Balkans. The trafficking of girls and women is yet another tragic context for sexual violence. Every year, hundreds of thousands of women and girls throughout the world are bought and sold into marriage, prostitution, and slavery. The United Nations estimates that four million people are trafficked every year.