Factors associated with IPV victimisation of women and perpetration by men in migrant communities of Nepal.

Nwabisa Shai,Esnat Chirwa,Geeta Devi Pradhan,Ratna Shrestha,Alice Kerr-Wilson,Abhina Adhikari,Soraya Seedat

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0210258

Nwabisa Shai, Esnat Chirwa + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0210258

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Abstract

This paper aims to describe the prevalent forms of intimate partner violence (IPV), and the factors associated with IPV among women and men living in the two migrant communities of Baglung district, Nepal. 357 adult women and men were enrolled following a family model, interviewing young married women with daughter-in-law status in the home, their husbands, and mothers-in-law and fathers-in-laws using an electronic questionnaire. Random effects regression modelling compared men and women, as well as young married women with daughter-in-law status and older women with mothers-in-law with status. 28.6% of women had ever experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner compared to 18.2% of men ever perpetrated these forms of violence against their wives. Being older, male controlling behaviour and poor relations with husband increased women’s IPV in their lifetime while perceptions that the mother-in-law is kind were protective. Being ashamed of being unemployed and childhood trauma were associated with men perpetrating IPV in their lifetime. Borrowing money or food increased young married women’s lifetime IPV risk while mother-in-law cruelty and male control increased older married women’s lifetime IPV exposure. Factors associated with IPV in the past year among men were being younger, job seeking, experiences of childhood trauma and depression exposure among men while difficulty accessing money for emergencies, holding inequitable gender attitudes, and depression was associated with women’s increased IPV exposure. Unemployment stress, holding inequitable gender attitudes and mother-in-law kindness were associated with young women’s increased IPV risk and hunger, mother-in-law cruelty and depression with older women’s IPV risk. There is a need to critically challenge harmful social and gender norms by using approaches that are sensitive to young married women’s position and unequal gender relations in the family. IPV prevention interventions need to employ a holistic approach that combines changing social and gender norms and improving socioeconomic conditions of women living in migrant communities.

Highlights

Nepal is one of the South Asian countries with high levels of violence against women and girls (VAWG)
The baseline study results from the One Community One Family project (OCOF) project showed that the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration and victimisation in two migrant communities of Baglung district in Nepal is driven by poor socioeconomic conditions of women, male controlling behaviour over wives, poor relations with husband and mother-in-law, men’s exposure to trauma in childhood and men and women’s experiences of depression at the time of the study
The study results revealed that poor socioeconomic conditions of women, male controlling behaviour over wives, poor relations with husband and mother-in-law, men’s exposure to trauma in childhood and men and women’s experiences of depression played a critical role in increasing women’s exposure to IPV and men’s perpetration of IPV

Summary

Introduction

Nepal is one of the South Asian countries with high levels of violence against women and girls (VAWG). This contributed to the global burden of human rights violations and public health problems. Global research indicates that almost a third of women worldwide have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetime [1]. This study was conducted among 4,210 pan-Nepali women of reproductive age (15–49 years) found that 17.5%, 23.4% and 14.7% women reported emotional, physical and sexual abuse/violence by their male partners respectively [2]. The 2011 Demographic Health Survey reported 47% of women had experience any form of violence against women in their lifetime suggesting IPV and domestic violence are highly prevalent in Nepal [5]. Understanding the factors that influence women’s risk of victimisation and men’s perpetration of violence is important for the development of effective violence prevention interventions

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