Freedom of Movement and Adolescent Sexual Violence in India

Abstract

This study assesses associations between freedom of movement and sexual violence, both in marriage and outside of marriage, among a representative sample of adolescents in India. We analyzed data from girls aged 15 to 19 years ( n = 9,593) taken from India’s nationally representative National Family Health Survey 2015–2016. We defined freedom of movement using three items on whether girls could go unaccompanied to specified locations; we summated responses and categorized them as restricted, or unrestricted. We used multivariable regression to assess associations between restricted movement and nonmarital violence, and with marital sexual violence among ever-married girls. Results show that only 2% of girls reported nonmarital sexual violence, among married and unmarried girls; 6% of married girls reported marital sexual violence. Most girls (78%) reported some restriction in movement. Restricted movement was negatively associated with nonmarital sexual violence (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.52, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.31, 0.87], p = .01) but positively associated with marital sexual violence (AOR = 3.87, 95% CI = [1.82, 8.25], p < .001). Further analyses highlight that the observed association with nonmarital sexual violence was specific to urban and not rural girls. These findings reveal that approximately one in 30 adolescent girls in India has been a victim of sexual violence. Restricted movement is associated with lower risk for nonmarital sexual violence for urban adolescent girls, possibly due to lower exposure opportunity. Married girls with restricted movement have higher odds of marital sexual violence, possibly because these are both forms of control used by abusive husbands. Freedom of movement is a human right that should not place girls at greater risk for nonmarital violence or be used as a means of control by abusive spouses. Social change is needed to secure girls’ safety in India.

Household sanitation access and risk for non-marital sexual violence among a nationally representative sample of women in India, 2015-16

“…These findings persist after accounting for demographics including age and marital status, socio-economic factors related to marginalization (e.g., caste, wealth), and factors in the state, suggesting that it may in fact be a consequence of heightened vulnerability when outside the home, which is consistent with prior qualitative evidence from India ( Sahoo et al, 1982 ). Findings related to increased risk for NMSV among employed women, in both rural and urban settings, further reinforce indications that women requiring mobility in public spaces are at increased risk for NMSV in India ( Raj et al, 2020 ). Importantly, such risks are not highly prevalent, as less than 1% of women in this study indicate NMSV in the past 12 months.…”

“…Prior research suggests an association between sanitation access and sexual violence in urban slums ( Kulkarni et al, 2017 ). Additionally, beyond issues related to sanitation, NMSV remains higher in urban relative to rural settings, and disproportionately affects younger women, certain marginalized castes, and employed women, indicating that demographic profile as well as mobility are affecting risk in urban settings ( Raj et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Such an approach may have value in India, as well. However, we must be cautious in terms of building solutions for prevention of sexual violence that focus on limiting women's need to be in public, rather than focusing on the climate of acceptability of sexual harassment and assault, and victim-blaming, that persists in India and globally ( Raj et al, 2020 ). Private household sanitation facilities offer some protection; but further efforts are needed in India to ensure that women have freedom of movement for full participation in society ( Raj et al, 2020 ).…”

Machine learning analysis of non-marital sexual violence in India

“…Although 17% of adolescent girls in our total sample were married, we excluded these to obtain more insight into NMSV, which disproportionately affects adolescent girls and is most commonly the age at which first experiences of sexual violence occur [12,14]. We were also able to validate our findings for this adolescent subsample against prior epidemiologic study focused on unmarried girls [15]. The study was exempted from ethical approval from the IRB at UCSD (USA) as it is based on publically available de-identified data.…”

“…Research on sexual violence across types of perpetrators, including husbands, suggests that there is greater vulnerability for such assaults among women and girls who are poorer, rural, less educated, and those in Scheduled Tribes/Scheduled Castes [12]. However, more recent evidence, focused on unmarried adolescents reporting NMSV using these same data, reveal a different picture, with urban, wealthier, and more mobile girls having greater odds of having experienced NMSV [15].…”