In 1996, the World Health Assembly declared violence a leading worldwide public health problem, and Murray and Lopez reported that the global burden of injury from violence falls disproportionately on females of all ages. It is this nexus between violence as a key health issue and as a gender issue that is explored in this publication.
This publication was put together to showcase some of the important epidemiological and evaluation research on the topic that is being conducted in other parts of the Region. The three studies contained in this volume provide complementary data for the Western Pacific Region to support the mission of a multi-country study. The first two studies provide much needed epidemiological data on two aspects of gender-based violence in China, self-directed violence and intimate partner abuse. The third provides a comprehensive evaluation of services for abused women in the Philippines.