High Levels Of Gender-based Violence Research Articles

Sexual and non-sexual femicide in South Africa: Comparing two studies 2009 and 2017

Sexual femicide, an abhorrent crime, is not well described and reported. The aim of the study was to describe sexual and non-sexual femicide in South Africa and compare the 2009 with the 2017 study presenting sociodemographic characteristics of victims, perpetrators, crime and forensic findings. The same retrospective study design using proportionate random sample of medico-legal laboratories were used. Sexual femicide was identified from autopsy and police reports. Findings show sexual femicide is not rare in South Africa. We estimated 451 (95% confidence interval: 366–533) sexual femicides in 2009 and 210 (95% confidence interval: 176–244) in 2017. Sexual femicides decreased by more than half from 19.1% in 2009 to 8.7% in 2017. We show an increase among younger women, those living in rural areas and strangers as perpetrators. Our dedicated studies show the value of documenting sexual femicides over time in a country with high levels of gender-based violence to assist development of theory-based prevention interventions.

Barriers to Bystander Action in Sexual Violence in Guatemala: The Role of Rape Myth Acceptance

Understanding bystander barriers in sexual violence is an important step towards increasing knowledge on how to teach people to intervene safely. Although bystander behaviour has been widely studied especially in the US context, there is a dearth of research outside the Global North. In this study, we report results of an investigation in Guatemala, a Central American country with high levels of gender-based violence. In an online study, 1009 University students and staff completed adapted questionnaires on rape myth acceptance and bystander barriers. Correlational and regression analyses demonstrated that the rape myths ‘She asked for it’ and ‘It wasn’t rape’ were important predictors of multiple barriers (i.e., Failure to notice, Failure to identify situation as high risk, Failure to take intervention responsibility, Failure to intervene due to a skills deficit and Failure to intervene due to audience inhibition). We discuss the results in the context of Guatemalan culture and society.

Beyond Toxic Masculinity: Reading and Writing Men in Post-Apartheid Namibia

Over the past few years, the term “toxic masculinity” has entered public debate in Namibia as a way to describe apparently problematic forms of masculine behaviour, particularly in the light of high levels of gender-based violence. Originating in Western discourse, the term itself is difficult as it can stifle meaningful and transformative conversations concerning men. Describing “toxic masculinity” as a trope, and indicating that tropes of violence have been used and politicised before, this article proposes a different way of reading men: via the mask. To do this, the “tropological place” is introduced as a space of intimacy and trust, in which the kinds of masks that men wear become visible. Although the introduction of “toxic masculinity” into debates around masculinities in Namibia should be acknowledged as an important starting point for conversations, this article urges researchers to think beyond it, encouraging more lateral relations with those that we research.

11.N. Workshop: School-based sexual health education: from evidence to implementation and evaluation

Abstract Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a key dimension of health and well-being of individuals. Sexuality Education (SE) is one of the most important means of promoting sexual well-being of youth and a key component of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention. International treaties and global health organisations explicitly urge governments to take the necessary measures to ensure the provision of SE, that should: be age-appropriate, start as soon as possible, promote mature decision-making, be directed towards improving gender inequalities and engage young people in all phases of activities. It is widely recognised that school plays a central role in learning about health and health promotion skills, including sexuality and sexual health. Although school-based SE (SBSE) alone may not be enough to ensure the rights of young people to SRH and prevent STIs, school programs are a very cost-effective way to contribute to these goals. Moreover, addressing these topics in schools is a thematic indicator for monitoring the UN Education Agenda 2030. Existing evidence indicates a great variability in the offer of school-based SE throughout the world. GEM report (2016) reveals that basic school curricula and educational standards rarely include SE programs, and multi-country reviews show limited progress in developing national strategies for the implementation of SE or in developing high-quality programs implemented on a large scale. Theoretical and research evidence indicate that SE, and in particular Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), positively impacts the behaviour of young people, improving SRH outcomes by reducing risk-taking. UNESCO in 2018 defined CSE as “a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical and social aspects of sexuality. It aims to equip children and young people with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values that will empower them to: realize their health, well-being and dignity; develop respectful social and sexual relationships; consider how their choices affect their own well-being and that of others; and, understand and ensure the protection of their rights throughout their lives”. In 2022, Italy is one of a few European countries that still lacks a comprehensive approach to SE that is coherently and equally implemented across the country and SE is not yet included in Italian schools’ curricula. As a consequence, several studies conducted on Italian young people report that they have poor sexual health knowledge, a low and inconsistent use of condoms and contraception, very little access to SRH services such as youth sexual health clinics and high levels of gender-based violence and homotransphobia. Moreover, 20% of all STIs detected in Italy affect young people. Yet, according to Italian students, school has clearly been pinpointed as the most appropriate place to receive information about SE. Key messages • Some European countries, including Italy, do not include SE in national school curricula. Often, available SBSE programs lack a comprehensive approach, with limited coverage across the countries. • Including CSE in national school curricula is an action urgently needed in order to provide young people with evidence-based, age-appropriate and accurate information on SRH and wellbeing.

Framing Feminicides—A Quantitative Content Analysis of News Stories in Four Colombian Newspapers

Colombia is marked by high levels of gender-based violence. In 2020, 630 women were murdered because of their gender. The number of these feminicides increased under the coronavirus lockdown that began in March 2020. Although the news media play a crucial role in shaping the public’s notion of feminicides, empirical studies on the media’s portrayal of feminicides in Colombia are scarce. The present study involved a quantitative content analysis of articles published in four Colombian newspapers to determine how they reported on feminicides from August 2019 to July 2020 (sample size: 139 articles, comprising 1798 paragraphs). The period under investigation allowed for a comparison of news coverage before and during the lockdown. By means of hierarchical cluster analysis, we identified four frames: “gender-based inequalities and discrimination against women”, “perpetrators in front of the court”, “prehistory and course of events of the feminicide”, and “reactions of neighbors, eyewitnesses, and villagers to the feminicide”. Our findings suggest that the four newspapers under investigation paint rather similar pictures of feminicides. We also found that the date an article was published in relation to the COVID-19 quarantine had little influence on the frequency at which the clusters appeared.

INFLUENCE OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE ON ABSOLUTE POVERTY AMONG WOMEN IN MADOGO WARD, TANA RIVER COUNTY, KENYA

<p>Gender inequality oppresses development among women and girls and is worsened by absolute poverty among women in Kenya. Poverty denies people choices and opportunities to participate in economic, political, and social activities while gender inequality denies women and girls equal opportunities as men and boys. Despite numerous interventions by the government through policies and laws gender inequality is on the rise and a great hindrance to development. Many women-headed households are not able to meet their basic needs due to inadequate income, lack of education, gender-based violence, and inaccessibility of primary health care. The objectives of this research were to analyze the influence of gender-based violence on absolute poverty among women in Madogo Ward, Tana River County. A descriptive research design and a quantitative research approach were used for the investigation to assemble the necessary quantitative information in Madogo Ward. The units of observation for this study were women who live in the Madogo Ward. The research has found out that there is a high level of absolute poverty among women with 86% of respondents living below the absolute poverty line. The results also indicated that there is a high likelihood of women to face gender-based violence in the village and at home. The research found out that many women access medical facilities but lack of medication and being unable to afford private health care leaves women without primary health care when needed. This research recommends that the government works towards addressing the high levels of gender-based violence by developing community-based protection mechanism for women and girls and provision of primary healthcare for women in Madogo Ward which would reduce the high levels of absolute poverty. </p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0870/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Mental health, physical impairment and violence among FSWS in North Karnataka, South India: a story of intersecting vulnerabilities

AimsThis study examines the prevalence and associations between recent violence experience, mental health and physical health impairment among Female Sex Workers (FSWs) in north Karnataka, India.BackgroundMulti-morbidity, in particular the overlap between physical and mental health problems, is an important global health challenge to address. FSWs experience high levels of gender-based violence, which increases the risk of poor mental health, however there is limited information on the prevalence of physical health impairments and how this interacts with mental health and violence.MethodWe conducted secondary analysis of cross-sectional quantitative survey data collected in 2016 as part of a cluster-RCT with FSWs called Samvedana Plus. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine associations between physical impairment, recent (past 6 months) physical or sexual violence from any perpetrator, and mental health problems measured by PHQ-2 (depression), GAD-2 (anxiety), any common mental health problem (depression or anxiety), self-harm ever and suicidal ideation ever.Result511 FSWs participated. One fifth had symptoms of depression (21.5%) or anxiety (22.1%), one third (34.1%) reported symptoms of either, 4.5% had ever self-harmed and 5.5% reported suicidal ideation ever. Over half (58.1%) reported recent violence. A quarter (27.6%) reported one or more chronic physical impairments. Mental health problems such as depression were higher among those who reported recent violence (29%) compared to those who reported no recent violence (11%). There was a step-wise increase in the proportion of women with mental health problems as the number of physical impairments increased (e.g. depression 18.1% no impairment; 30.2% one impairment; 31.4% ≥ two impairments). In adjusted analyses, mental health problems were significantly more likely among women who reported recent violence (e.g. depression and violence AOR 2.42 (1.24–4.72) with rates highest among women reporting recent violence and one or more physical impairments (AOR 5.23 (2.49–10.97).ConclusionOur study suggests multi-morbidity of mental and physical health problems is a concern amongst FSWs and is associated with recent violence experience. Programmes working with FSWs need to be mindful of these intersecting vulnerabilities, inclusive of women with physical health impairments and include treatment for mental health problems as part of core-programming.Samvedana Plus was funded by UKaid through Department for International Development as part of STRIVE (structural drivers of HIV) led by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the What Works to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls Global Programme led by South African Medical Research Council

Adolescents' experiences of menarche and menstruation in disadvantaged schools in South Africa: a qualitative exploration

PurposeThis study explores how menstruation is perceived, experienced and navigated by school-going adolescent girls living in low-to-middle income settings in South Africa. Existing research from developing countries suggest that the onset of menstruation has implications for school attendance and academic performance. There is evidence that menstrual cycle–related symptoms (primarily physical) lead to difficulties in, or interference with, and disengagement from school, social relations, and physical activities (van Iersel et al., 2016; Steiner et al., 2011; Kiesner and Pastore, 2010; Taras, 2005). The onset of menstruation can be shame-inducing and has been associated with anxiety and confusion. Few studies have been conducted on menstruation in countries with a history of sectarian violence and characterised by substantial socio-economic disparities and high levels of gender-based violence. Understanding the experiences of girls in these contexts is important in generating contextually-grounded knowledge and appropriate interventions.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used to collect data from 48 adolescent girls aged 13–16 year-old. A total of six focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire among a purposive sampling method. Data collected were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Written parental consent was obtained for participants under 18 years old.FindingsThe findings illustrated complex psychological experiences in response to menarche and menstruation. Experiences of shame in relation to menstruation were aggravated by unsupportive responses from school teachers. Challenges such as scarcity of sanitary products were experienced as creating a barrier for girls' school attendance.Research limitations/implicationsExisting research from developing countries suggests that the onset of menstruation has implications for school attendance and academic performance. The research data includes the views of adolescent learners and their negative reactions and positive experiences towards menstruation within the school environment.Practical implicationsGiven the comparative paucity of research emerging from developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa, this paper addresses an important gap in the literature by providing contextually-nuanced information about the menstrual experiences of adolescent girls. The study can further provide information for efforts made by the Department of Education and Department of Health regarding the impact of menstruation on adolescent girls' school attendance.Social implicationsThis study provides important insights regarding the experiences of South African school girls in relation to menstruation. Although dominant feelings of shame, confusion and disgust may surround menstruation, the study also highlighted potential positive experiences associated with menstruation. Teachers and school administrators need to be oriented towards the needs of adolescent girls if issues regarding poor school attendance are to be addressed.Originality/valueTo reduce absenteeism in schools and ensure learners are provided with improved allocation of sanitary products in schools, there is a need for the advocacy regarding sexuality education and resources to promote the psychological health of adolescent girls.

Ending unjust HIV criminalization: leave no-one behind.

Ending unjust HIV criminalization: leave no-one behind.

Training Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in the Problem Management Plus Programme in Turkey

Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, the impact on the local population has rapidly increased, with severe consequent displacement to neighbouring countries (such as Turkey), material losses and psychological damage due to witnessing death, torture, physical and psychological abuse or surviving it, including high levels of gender-based violence. At the same time, available resources to aid impacted communities have not come close to matching need. To respond to this urgent need, the INSAN Psychosocial Support Centre in Istanbul, Turkey initiated the Safety Spark project as a capacity building project with 20 refugee gender-based violence survivors to be trained in Problem Management Plus. This is “a psychological intervention that aims to improve mental health, functioning and psychosocial wellbeing of adults” and thereafter to provide mental health and psychosocial support to other women survivors, thereby increasing the capacity of the community to heal itself. However, right after training, but 2 weeks before implementation sessions began, the onslaught of the coronavirus disease 2019 reached Turkey, making provision of traditional psychological support impossible. With the support of World Health Organization, an online training was added to the programme and survivors were taught to provide support remotely as well. The project is ongoing, and observed results appear to be promising. This field report provides an overview of the target population, procedures, settings and challenges faced during the training and implementation, solutions to overcome them and future recommendations.

Exposure to gender-based violence and depressive symptoms among transgender women in Cambodia: findings from the National Integrated Biological and Behavioral Survey 2016

BackgroundTransgender women are at significant risk of HIV, and they face intersecting barriers to health, social, and legal services. However, data regarding the unique needs and experiences of transgender women are globally scant. This study examined the relationship between gender-based violence and depressive symptoms among transgender women in Cambodia.MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 1375 sexually active transgender women recruited by using the respondent-driven sampling method in the capital city of Phnom Penh and 12 provinces between December 2015 and February 2016. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D). Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to explore factors independently associated with depressive symptoms.ResultsOf total, 45.0% of the participants had depressive symptoms, and 21.8% had severe depressive symptoms. After controlling for potential confounders, transgender women with depressive symptoms remained significantly more likely to report several negative experiences of gender-based violence such as a feeling that co-workers or classmates were not supportive regarding their transgender identity (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.22–3.28), having difficulties in getting a job (AOR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.29–2.16), having been denied or thrown out of housing (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.02–2.26), having difficulties in getting health services (AOR = 2.40, 95% CI = 1.50–3.82), having been physically abused (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI = 1.15–2.08), and having been fearful of being arrested by police or authorities (AOR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.64–2.91) because of their transgender identity. Regarding their childhood experiences, transgender women with depressive symptoms remained significantly more likely to report that someone had tried to touch them or make them touch in a sexual way when they were growing up (AOR = 2.08, 95% CI = 1.61–2.68).ConclusionsTransgender women in Cambodia experience high levels of gender-based violence and depressive symptoms. To address these concerns, a combination of service and policy interventions are required. These may include training and sensitization of trained and lay health providers in screening for depressive symptoms and integration of mental health services into facility- and community-based HIV services with enforcement of policies and laws that protect the rights of transgender women against gender-based violence.

Reducing PTSD symptoms through a gender norms and economic empowerment intervention to reduce intimate partner violence: a randomized controlled pilot study in Côte D'Ivoire.

Women living in war-affected contexts face high levels of gender-based violence, including intimate partner violence (Stark & Ager, 2011). Despite well-documented negative consequences, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Garcia-Moreno et al. 2006; Steel et al. 2009), evidence remains thin regarding intervention effectiveness to mitigate consequences in these settings. This study used a two-armed parallel pilot randomized controlled trial to compare the impact of a group savings only (control) to gender dialogue groups added to group savings (treatment) on women's symptoms of PTSD in northwestern Côte d'Ivoire. Eligible Ivorian women (18+ years, no prior experience with group savings) were invited to participate and 1198 were randomized into treatment groups. In the ITT analyses, women in the treatment arm had significantly fewer PTSD symptoms relative to the control arm (β: -0.12; 95% CI: -0.20 to -0.03; p = 0.005). Partnered women in the treatment arm who had not experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) at baseline had significantly fewer PTSD symptoms than the control arm (β = -0.12; 95% CI: -0.21 to -0.03; p = 0.008), while those who had experienced IPV did not show significant differences between treatment and control arms (β = -0.09; 95% CI: -0.29 to 0.11; p = 0.40). Adding a couples gender discussion group to a women's savings group significantly reduced women's PTSD symptoms overall. Different patterns emerge for women who experienced IPV at baseline v. those who did not. More research is needed on interventions to improve mental health symptoms for women with and without IPV experiences in settings affected by conflict.

A Psychosocial Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse Disclosure Among Female Children in South Africa

ABSTRACTChild sexual abuse is endemic in South Africa, driven by high levels of gender-based violence and underscored by structural and social factors. This article aims to develop an understanding of the process of disclosure in a sample of female children and their caregivers. In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 31 female children aged 8–17 years and their caregivers at 3 intervals after presentation to a sexual assault treatment center. Nearly half of the children failed to disclose the sexual abuse immediately, fearing caregivers’ reaction. Most children purposefully disclosed to a confidant through a process of identifying an intermediary to tell caregivers on their behalf. The process of disclosure was influenced by multiple factors, such as a fear of the caregiver’s reaction and disbelief, which is related to parental style. Disclosure was found to be a dynamic process that unfolds and not a single or static event and influenced by multiple factors which all impact on recovery. Our findings highlight the need to address social norms on sexual abuse in order to improve responses to disclosure to facilitate post-sexual-abuse adjustment for the child and the family.

Women’s activism around gender-based violence in South Africa: recognition, redistribution and representation

South Africa is a country struggling to come to grips with very high levels of gender-based violence (GBV) that is eroding the social fabric of society. Using Nancy Fraser’s theory of redistribution, recognition and representation as a starting point, the author shows the importance of acknowledging these dimensions in struggles and activism around GBV, illustrating the theory with the Shukumisa Campaign and the activities of the African National Congress Women’s League (ANCWL) in South Africa. Both these campaigns engage the state to end GBV in order to change conditions of misrecognition and maldistribution, yet with very different outcomes.

Female killers and gender politics in contemporary South African crime fiction: Conversations with crime writers Jassy Mackenzie, Angela Makholwa, and Mike Nicol

Social analysis is part and parcel of South African crime fiction,1a genre which has been flourishing since the end of apartheid. Interrogating the country’s high levels of gender-based violence, various South African crime writers explore gender issues in their fiction.2Critically-acclaimed crime writers Jassy Mackenzie, Angela Makholwa, and Mike Nicol stand out in this field through their creations of instantly memorable female serial killers as protagonists. In the interviews that follow, the three writers discuss the rationales behind their choice of a traditionally masculine role for their female protagonists, how they navigated through ensuing ethical problems and their characters’ potential for uncomfortable reader identification, but also virulent issues of gender in contemporary South African society. They argue that since assertions of power have so long been connected to assertions of masculinity, performing the male role of the killer is a way for their female figures to move to a place of power. Thus, their protagonists’ perpetrating agency enables them to be the equals — if not superiors — of the men they interact with.3Moreover, it empowers them to act as renegades who contest the dominant power and who are generally in control in an environment which is rife with inequality and where women more often than not are the victims of crime. In this way, besides being a means to explore female perpetrating agency, the figure of the female killer also has the potential to transform the way readers of crime fiction view women.4

‘When does the end begin?’ Addressing gender-based violence in post-conflict societies: case studies from Zimbabwe and El Salvador

This article analyses gender-based violence in the country contexts of Zimbabwe and El Salvador, where distinct periods of conflict and turbulence led to nominal peace, but no recognisable reduction or improvement in the status of women. Women in these two societies continued to experience high levels of gender-based violence. We outline the experience and strategies of Oxfam America along with national partners in addressing gender-based violence in these post-conflict societies. The article draws from Oxfam America's experiences in El Salvador and Zimbabwe, where a campaign and advocacy approach promoted new policy responses and legislation as a result of changes in societal and political attitudes to gender-based violence. It outlines the strategies and partnerships used by the Zimbabwe and El Salvador campaigns, including community outreach, mass mobilisation, and legislative lobbying, to achieve a positive shift in national policies and practices, to prevent gender-based violence.

Reconsidering the impact of conflict on HIV infection among women in the era of antiretroviral treatment scale-up in sub-Saharan Africa: a gender lens

As increasing international and local efforts focus on scaling up access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS have increasingly advocated that the lack of essential medicines in conflict settings including ART is a violation of human rights. HIV infection and armed conflict are disproportionately represented in sub-Saharan Africa with women and children experiencing the largest burden of harms and adverse health outcomes due to both HIV infection risk and impact of conflict. Given emerging disparities in access to ART among HIV-positive women in conflict zones there is an urgent need to reconsider the impact of conflict on HIV infection. Importantly recent evidence suggests that there may be a protective effect of armed conflict on HIV prevalence as a result of reduced mobility and urbanization disruption of sexual networks and decreased casual consensual sex. At the same time substantial evidence suggests an increased vulnerability to HIV in conflict settings among women and children due to widespread human rights violations rape as a weapon of war forced occupational exposure the need for women to turn to sex work to support themselves and their families (i.e. survival sex) and reduced access to HIV prevention and reproductive health services. Regardless inequitable access to ART scale up in conflict zones suggests a need to re-examine the complex relationship between conflict and HIV infection. (excerpt)