No safe place: Prevalence and correlates of violence against conflict-affected women and girls in South Sudan

Abstract

Background Conflict and humanitarian crises increase the risk of both intimate partner violence and nonpartner sexual violence against women and girls. We measured the prevalence and risk factors of different forms of violence against women and girls in South Sudan, which has suffered decades of conflict, most recently in 2013. Methods A population-based survey was conducted among women aged 15-64 in three conflictaffected sites in South Sudan: Juba, Rumbek, and the Protection of Civilian Sites (PoCs) in Juba between 2015 and 2016. Findings A total of 2,244 women between the ages of 15-64 were interviewed. Fifty percent (in the Juba PoCs) to 65% (in Juba and Rumbek) of all female respondents experienced either physical or sexual violence from a partner or non-partner in the course of their lifetimes. Approximately 35% of respondents have experienced rape, attempted rape or other forms of sexual violence by a non-partner during their lifetime. For ever-partnered women, lifetime prevalence of physical and/or sexual partner violence ranged between 54% in the Juba PoCs and 73% in Rumbek. Restrictive marital practices and gender norms, and experiences of conflict were major drivers of both partner and non-partner violence. Conclusion Women and girls in South Sudan suffer among the highest levels of physical and sexual violence in the world. Although the prevalence of sexual assault by non-partners is four times the global average, women are still at greatest risk of physical and sexual assault from

“If You Are Born a Girl in This Crisis, You Are Born a Problem”: Patterns and Drivers of Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict-Affected South Sudan

“…The qualitative research presented in this article informed the design of a household survey of men and women in three of the conflict-affected settings where the qualitative study was performed (Rumbek, Juba City, and Juba PoC sites). The results of the household survey, which are presented elsewhere ( Ellsberg et al, 2020 ; Murphy et al, 2020 ), reinforced the qualitative findings. The survey found that women and girls in South Sudan suffer some of the highest levels of physical and sexual violence in the world.…”

A Latent Class Analysis of Gender Attitudes and Their Associations with Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo

“…Over 60% of participants reported experiences with controlling behaviors, 25% with psychological abuse, and 28% with physical and/or sexual violence. These rates are similar to those reported by sample of Tanzanian adolescent and young women but lower than other samples of conflict-affected adolescent girls and women in South Sudan and the DRC [46][47][48]. Attitudes towards men's perpetration of violence against women is a factor known to influence IPV's acceptability, its overall incidence rate, and the responses of survivors and those close to them [49].…”

Exploring the role of gender and women in the political economy of health in armed conflict: a narrative review

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