Amid escalating apprehension regarding reductions in U.S. public health financing, specialists at Washington University in St. Louis caution that withdrawing support from crucial data frameworks could eliminate decades of advancements in safeguarding women and children from abuse.

In a correspondence released June 7 in The Lancet, lead author Lindsay Stark, a faculty member at the WashU School of Public Health, alongside other researchers, asserted that recent U.S. funding choices are endangering the globe’s most essential violence prevention mechanisms. This includes the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) and the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS)—rigorous, population-centered data systems that guide worldwide initiatives to eradicate violence, track advancements, and allocate resources efficiently.

The authors stated that almost one in three women worldwide—approximately 736 million—has undergone physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, a non-partner, or both at least once throughout their lives. Estimates indicate that 1 billion children—more than half the world’s youth—endure some type of violence or neglect annually. “These shocking statistics are only visible due to decades of dedication to meticulous, ethical, ground-level data gathering,” Stark remarked.

Unlike law enforcement investigations, which depend on victims to report offenses, VACS and DHS conduct proactive, confidential surveys that penetrate deeply into communities to reveal abuses that would otherwise go unnoticed. Implemented in low- and middle-income nations, these surveys utilize trained interviewers who discreetly converse with randomly selected women, adolescents, and children.

The interviewers pose sensitive inquiries with care, fostering trust while safeguarding participants’ identities. “The data not only shields survivors—it equips communities with the knowledge to prevent violence before it begins,” stated Ilana Seff, a research associate professor at WashU’s School of Public Health.

The surveys guide violence prevention initiatives across numerous countries, aiding policymakers in recognizing crucial risk aspects, such as alcohol consumption, childhood trauma, and financial instability. The authors emphasize that evidence-based programs have achieved substantial decreases in violence within mere months or years—rather than generations.

Considering this demonstrable influence, the authors expressed serious concern regarding recent U.S. actions that jeopardize the framework. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has historically provided technical assistance for VACS, faces significant funding reductions. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which has supported DHS since its establishment, has been dismantled. The authors also mention the U.S. exit from and defunding of the World Health Organization, which is pivotal in efforts to gather and analyze violence data.

The letter—co-written by Chen Reis from the University of Denver, Ruti Levtov from the Prevention Collaborative in Washington, D.C., and Julianne Deitch from the Women’s Refugee Commission in New York—urges the U.S. and other nations to reinvest in violence prevention initiatives.

“Consistent support is vital to maintaining the basic human right to live free from all forms of violence. Anything less is a breakdown of science and justice,” it concluded.

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