Domestic violence threatens health of children with lower immunization rates.

2004 OCT 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Domestic violence has an obvious impact on the health and well being of the women being abused, but a new report also highlights important intergenerational effects of such violence: the children of abused women are also more likely to suffer health problems.

MEASURE DHS just released "Profiling Domestic Violence: A Multi-Country Study," a comprehensive analysis of domestic violence in nine developing countries based on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data.

The report finds high rates of domestic violence in all countries studied, with over 40% of women in several countries reporting spousal or intimate partner abuse. The U.S. Agency for International Development supports MEASURE DHS, which is led by Calverton, Maryland-based ORC Macro in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs, PATH, Jorge Scientific Corporation, and Casals and Associates.

The number of ever-married women reporting spousal physical or sexual abuse was highest in Zambia (48%), Colombia (44%), and Peru (42%) and lowest in Cambodia (18%), India (19%), and the Dominican Republic (22%). About one in three women in Egypt (34%), Nicaragua (30%) and Haiti (29%) reported such abuse. In most countries, the highest rates of violence occur in moderately wealthy households, and not, as often assumed, among poorest households.

"We know women in violent situations often have poor health with some ending up as homicides and suicides, but this report also documents its impact on their young children," said Sunita Kishor, PhD, senior gender specialist ...