A new UN project is highlighting how estimating the cost of violence against women in the Arab region can be an effective way of addressing this fundamental human rights violation.

According to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), 37 per cent of women in the Arab region report at least one form of physical or sexual violence during their lifetime.

On Thursday, dozens of experts gathered at ESCWA’s headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, to discuss an economic model for costing violence against women with the ultimate goal of effecting policy change.

Stephanie Coutrix reports.

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