Intimate partner violence against adolescents and young women in sub-Saharan Africa: who is most vulnerable?

Abstract

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health and human rights issue that affects millions of women and girls. While disaggregated national statistics are crucial to assess inequalities, little evidence exists on inequalities in exposure to violence against adolescents and young women (AYW). The aim of this study was to determine inequalities in physical or sexual IPV against AYW and beliefs about gender based violence (GBV) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods We used data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in 27 countries in SSA. Only data from surveys conducted after 2010 were included. Our analysis focused on married or cohabiting AYW aged 15–24 years and compared inequalities in physical or sexual IPV by place of residence, education and wealth. We also examined IPV variations by AYW’s beliefs about GBV and the association of country characteristics such as gender inequality with IPV prevalence. Results The proportion of AYW reporting IPV in the year before the survey ranged from 6.5% in Comoros to 43.3% in Gabon, with a median of 25.2%. Overall, reported IPV levels were higher in countries in the Central Africa region than other sub-regions. Although the prevalence of IPV varied by place of residence, education and wealth, there was no clear pattern of inequalities. In many countries with high prevalence of IPV, a higher proportion of AYW from rural areas, with lower education and from the poorest wealth quintile reported IPV. In almost all countries, a greater proportion of AYW who approved wife beating for any reason reported IPV compared to their counterparts who disapproved wife beating. Reporting of IPV was weakly correlated with the Gender Inequality Index and other societal level variables but was moderately positively correlated with adult alcohol consumption (r = 0.48) and negative attitudes towards GBV (r = 0.38). Conclusion IPV is pervasive among AYW, with substantial variation across and within countries reflecting the role of contextual and structural factors in shaping the vulnerability to IPV. The lack of consistent patterns of inequalities by the stratifiers within countries shows that IPV against women and girls cuts across socio-economic boundaries suggesting the need for comprehensive and multi-sectoral approaches to preventing and responding to IPV.

Prevalence and Correlates of Intimate Partner Violence against Women in Liberia: Findings from 2019–2020 Demographic and Health Survey

“…No statistical significance was found for women with 3 or more children and IPV. Acceptance of IPV by women was consistently shown to be associated with higher IPV reporting [ 9 , 13 ], and this was also borne out of this study. Alcohol use by one’s husband/partner was consistently associated with increased IPV experience by women [ 6 , 8 , 13 ], and this study reinforces this association.…”

“…Based on previous studies [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ], 10 variables at the individual, husband/partner, and familial levels were studied for association with respondents having ever experienced intimate partner violence, i.e., women’s age, women’s educational attainment, women’s occupation, wealth index of the household/family, residential status in terms of urban and rural, number of living children, participation in decision making, acceptance of IPV, husband/partner’s use of alcohol, and having witnessed one’s father physically beating up one’s mother. Details on the derivation of each explanatory variable is provided as under:…”

“…Lifetime physical and sexual IPV prevalence in ever partnered women aged 15–49 years were reported to be 27% globally, and 33% in WHO Africa region [ 5 ]. Myriad demographic, social, and cultural risk factors were identified in single country, multiple country, and meta-analyses studies for higher IPV prevalence against women, that include younger age, low household income, low educational attainment of women, having witnessed parental violence and intergenerational violence transmission, partner’s alcohol use, acceptance of violence by women, and rural residency status [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. Notably, two important meta-analyses were recently reported that looked at selected risk factors associated with IPV.…”

Adolescent sexual and reproductive health for all in sub-Saharan Africa: a spotlight on inequalities

“…• The paper by Melesse et al extends this point to within country inequalities, underscoring that disparities in age of sexual debut, early marriage, and early childbearing are persisting and growing across a number of countries [9]. • The paper by Wado et al notes that while all groups of adolescent girls/young women (and adult women for that matter) are affected by intimate partner violence, those who are from poor families, have limited education and live in rural areas are most affected [10]. • The paper by Cane et al highlights the disparities in the levels and trends of HIV prevalence between girls/young women and boys/young men, and between rural and urban residents, while also pointing to the considerable progress that has been made in reducing HIV transmission in all groups [11].…”

Dating violence among adolescents from a region of high social vulnerability

“…A study with 930 pregnant black-skinned and Latino adolescents found that 38% experienced TDV in the last trimester of pregnancy ( 8 ) . A study conducted in 27 countries in sub-Saharan Africa found that a median of 25.2% of adolescents and young women reported TDV, reaching 43.3% in some countries ( 9 ) .…”