Peer-reviewed article
Intersecting inequities: a systematic review of socio-cultural, economic, and legal determinants of violence against women and girls in Asia (ANULA project-WP1 Evidence Synthesis).
Wijamuni N, Elneil S, Phiri P, Sundarapperuma T, Warushahennadi J et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This systematic review examined research across Asia to understand the root causes of violence against women and girls. The review analysed 34 studies involving over 193,000 women and girls, identifying five main themes: cultural beliefs, economic hardship, weak legal systems, regional differences, and emerging forms like cyber abuse. The evidence shows that violence is driven by interconnected systems of gender inequality, poverty, and poor enforcement of laws. The authors call for culturally appropriate multi-sectoral interventions to address these structural causes.
Key points
- Violence against women and girls in Asia is rooted in entrenched socio-cultural, economic, and legal inequities
- Analysis of 34 studies identified five dominant themes: socio-cultural determinants, economic constraints, legal and institutional weaknesses, regional and demographic variations, and emerging forms of violence
- Total population represented across studies was 193,429 women and girls across South, Southeast, and East Asia
- The evidence supports the need for multisectoral, culturally sensitive interventions to address structural roots of violence
- Future research should prioritise underrepresented regions and emerging modalities of violence such as cyber abuse
Limitations
This is a systematic review of existing evidence rather than original research, so it reflects the limitations and gaps in the existing literature. The review only included English-language peer-reviewed articles, which may exclude important research published in other languages or in grey literature from Asian contexts.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) remains a critical public health challenge globally and in Asia, where it is rooted in entrenched socio-cultural, economic, and legal inequities. Despite increasing awareness, the drivers of VAWG in Asian contexts remain poorly consolidated across disciplines. OBJECTIVE: To systematically identify and report the socio-cultural, economic, and legal determinants of VAWG in Asia. METHODS: An evidence synthesis protocol was systematic developed and registered in PROSPERO (CRD420241046281). Comprehensive searches were conducted across PubMed, Science Direct, and the Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group Specialised Register for English-language peer-reviewed articles published between April 1980 and April 2025. The analysis was conducted using contextual and thematic approaches. RESULTS: From 16,473 records screened, 34 studies met inclusion criteria. Studies spanned South, Southeast, and East Asia, and included diverse methodologies. Thematic analysis revealed five dominant themes: socio-cultural determinants, economic constraints, legal and institutional weaknesses, regional and demographic variations, and emerging forms of violence. The total population represented across the studies was 193,429 women and girls. CONCLUSION: VAWG in Asia is perpetuated by intersecting systems of gender inequality, economic deprivation, and weak legal enforcement. The evidence supports the need for multisectoral, culturally sensitive interventions to address the structural roots of violence, given the high prevalence observed across multiple subgroups, the documented physical and mental health consequences, and emerging signals from intervention studies. Future research should prioritise underrepresented regions and emerging modalities of violence, such as cyber abuse.