Violence against women is recognized as a serious social problem and a criminal offence in many, but by no means all countries in the world [1]. Violence against women is a form of gender-based aggression because it is connected to the membership of perpetrator and victims in distinct gender groups. It comprises any behavior intended by a male actor to cause harm to a female target. This review presents studies that refer to physical and sexual violence against women. Studies examining psychological maltreatment are covered in other recent reviews [2**], [3].

Definition and Prevalence of Physical and Sexual Violence against Women

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) [4**], physical violence is defined as “being slapped or having something thrown at you that could hurt you, being pushed or shoved, being hit with a fist or something else that could hurt, being kicked, dragged or beaten up, being choked or burnt on purpose, and/or being threatened with, or actually, having a gun, knife or other weapon used on the person”. Sexual violence is defined as “being physically forced to have sexual intercourse when you did not want to, having sexual intercourse because you were afraid of what your partner might do, and/or being forced to do something sexual that you found humiliating or degrading [4**, p. 6].