The WHO aired the appeal as two of its latest publications noted that elderly women and women affected by physical disabilities face the risk of abuse, but their plight is largely kept under wraps in most global and national violence-related data.

“Older women and women with disabilities are under-represented in much of the available research on violence against women, which undermines the ability of programmes to meet their particular needs,” said Dr. Lynnmarie Sardinha, technical officer of WHO and the UN Special Programme on Human Reproduction for Viiolence against Women Data and measurement.

Data showed that intimate partner and sexual violence are the most common forms of geneder-based violence globally and affefct 1 in 3 women.

Older women and women with disabilities are still subjected to these types of violence but also space specific risks and additional forms of abuse, sometimes at the hands of caregivers and health care professionals.

Among the adverse acts suffered by them include coercive and controlling behaviors such as withholding of medicines, assistive devices and other aspects of care and financial abuse.

WHO found that women aged 60 years and older remained the sector that suffer most sexual intimate partner violence.

As women age, the forms of abuse shift to psychological violence such as threats of abandonment, and other controlliing behaviors, WHO disclosed.

“Gender-based violence is rooted in unequal power and control over women,” explained Dr. Avni Amin who heads the Rigths and Equality Across the LIfe Course Unit of WHO.

Amin added: “For older women and women with disabilities, their dependency and isolation are further exploited by perpetrators, increasing their risk of abuse.”