Sexual Violence Prevalence Against Girls and Women: A Case of Meru District Council

Abstract

Despite efforts made by governments, communities, and development groups, sexual assault against girls and women has been rising globally. For instance, the Sexual Offences Special Provisions Act of 1998, which specifies actions to be taken when sexual violence is reported, is in effect in Tanzania. This paper on sexual violence prevalent against girls and women is aimed at determining the extent to which sexual violence prevails in the study area. It used a sample size of 399 respondents, which included girls and women, who were obtained by using a simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire and a documentary review were used to collect data. The questionnaire was designed in such a way that the number of sexual violence occurrences could be determined. A scale interval of 0-1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, and over 8 cases per month was used to determine the number of sexual violence occurrences and, consequently, sexual violence prevalence. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze data in which frequencies and percentages were produced and presented in tabular forms. The study found that sexual harassment was the most prevalent form of sexual violence (22.1%), followed by child abuse (16.2%). These findings indicate that community members should be ready to unveil all actions that contribute to sexual violence practices and abandon cultural practices that give men the power to do whatever they wish to do to women and girls.