Gender Based Violence against Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cross-Sectional Studies

Abstract

This study aimed to systematically review studies that examined the prevalence of gender based violence (GBV) that included intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-IPV among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This evidence is an important aspect to work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) target of eliminating all forms of violence in SSA. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Ovid Medline, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, Embase, Scopus and Web of Science were used to source articles with stringent eligibility criteria. Studies on GBV in SSA countries that were published in English from 2008 to 2019 were included. A random effect meta-analysis was used. Fifty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled prevalence of IPV among women was 44%, the past year-pooled prevalence of IPV was 35.5% and non-IPV pooled prevalence was 14%. The highest prevalence rates of IPV that were reported included emotional (29.40%), physical (25.87%) and sexual (18.75%) violence. The sub-regional analysis found that women residing in Western (30%) and Eastern (25%) African regions experienced higher levels of emotional violence. Integrated mitigation measures to reduce GBV in SSA should focus mainly on IPV in order to achieve the SDG’s that will lead to sustainable changes in women’s health.

Prevalence and factors associated with sexual violence among rural women aged 15-49 years in Uganda: evidence from the Uganda demographic and health survey 2016

“…The ndings are in line with Wandera et al, who reported the highest rate of sexual violence in the Eastern region, followed by Western, Central, and Northern regions [6]. However, the results deviate from a recent meta-analysis that reported Northern Uganda having the highest rate of sexual violence (50%) within Sub-Saharan Africa [5]. Although the Northern region has a record of past civil wars that were characterised by the violation of human rights, including sexual abuse [27], our study found no signi cant chances of sexual violence among women in this region.…”

“…A recent meta-analysis by Muluneh et al reported the prevalence of sexual violence in sub-Saharan Africa to be 18.6%, with the East African region having a higher prevalence compared to other regions [5]. A previous study indicated that 25% of the ever-married women in Uganda experienced some form of sexual violence [6].…”

Contracting HIV or Contracting SAR-CoV-2 (COVID- 19) in Pregnancy? Balancing the Risks and Benefits

“…Prior research has shown that during emergencies and disasters like coronavirus, in which people are told to stay home, sexual activity will continue and increase. Consequently, the risks of intimate partner violence, rape and HIV acquisition will also rise [12,13]. The South African government reported over 87,000 cases of gender based violence reported across the country in the first week of the coronavirus lockdown [20].…”

“…We decided to remain open to PrEP retention visits, when the participant was not able to attend prior to site closing. However, we know that during emergencies and disasters like coronavirus, in which people are told to stay home, sex will continue or increase, and risks of intimate partner violence and rape increase [12,13].…”

Community acceptability of dolutegravir-based HIV treatment in women: a qualitative study in South Africa and Uganda

“…Participants in Uganda were selected from poor urban communities in and around Kampala, with HIV prevalence of around 6.9% [26]. Both settings had high background rates of violence against women and girls, which may have contributed to a disproportionately higher HIV infection among women [27,28].…”