ReviewViolence towards women is a public health problem

- Rates of sexual violence experienced and physical violence increased with increasing age.
- Significantly higher rates of sexual violence experienced at any time by women living in rural areas.
- In Turkey as in all countries worldwide, violence is a problem for women of all ages.

BackgroundViolence within the family is a significant health problem which threatens the health of the community. The global rates of domestic violence directed at women have been reported as 10%-69% and in Turkey as 25%-30%.Materials and MethodsThe data of our study were obtained from the database of the official internet website of the Turkish Statistics Institute as the data related to violence between 2007 and 2012. In the evaluation of the data, SPSS 11.0 statistics software was used.ResultsAlthough it was determined that women from all groups experienced sexual, physical and emotional violence, higher rates were observed in those living in rural areas compared to those in urban areas, in the eastern region compared to all other regions, in the 45-59 years age group, those with low level of income and with a low level of education.ConclusionWhen physicians encounter women who have experienced violence, by evaluating the violence in the context of a legal case, violence is identified and not allowed to become a cycle passed from generation to generation, and in addition to the medical intervention, without forgetting that violence is a public health problem, it is necessary to find a way to provide psychosocial and legal support for the victim.