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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
Time: 12:54 am
Time: 12:54 am
Results for female victims (africa)
1 results foundAuthor: Keesbury, Jill Title: Comprehensive Responses to Sexual Violence in East and Southern Africa: Lessons Learned from Implementation Summary: Worldwide, an estimated 1 in every 3 women will experience some form of sexual or gender-based violence (SGBV) in their lifetime. Defined broadly, SGBV includes all forms of physical, psychological, economic and sexual violence (SV) that are related to the survivor’s gender or gender role in a society or culture. Recent population-based surveys demonstrate that SGBV is common in the East and Southern Africa region and cuts across nationality, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. SGBV affects a large proportion of women across the region; for example, 47 percent of Zambian women report ever experiencing physical violence and 59 percent of Ethiopian women report suffering SV (Figure 1). In many cases the perpetrator is known to the survivor, and intimate partners (such as husbands and boyfriends) are frequently identified as the perpetrators. Other data indicate that girls in the region frequently experience coerced sexual initiation which is often viewed as a normal part of relationships. Women and girls who suffer SGBV are more likely to be infected with HIV, other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and experience other reproductive health problems. Research indicates that the risk of HIV infection following forced sex is likely to be higher than following consensual sex, especially among children. This increased risk is especially pronounced in the high HIV-prevalence settings of sub-Saharan Africa Data from Demographic and Health Surveys have shown that women who have suffered violence are twice as likely to have an STI than women who have not. Moreover, a woman’s risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) is increased if she discloses her HIV status to a partner, particularly in a discordant relationship. Studies from across the world have found that girls and young women who previously experienced sexual coercion are significantly less likely to use condoms, and more likely to experience genital tract infection symptoms, unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion. Women who experience IPV are more likely to use contraception secretly or prevented from using it, and are more likely to become pregnant as adolescents. Women who are abused during pregnancy are more likely to suffer depression, bleeding, and poor maternal weight gain. Over the past decade, many African countries have begun to recognize the importance of both preventing SGBV and responding to the needs of SGBV survivors at a national level. However, in the absence of a strong, regionally-relevant evidence base, these national programs have tended to adopt strategies that have proven successful in the high resource settings of Europe and North America. The feasibility and sustainability of such approaches is not well-established in countries where access to with limited financial and human resources. Many countries in Africa have recognised that they must address SGBV if they are to make progress toward human development goals, including significant reductions in poverty, HIV incidence, and maternal and infant mortality by 2015. Organizations have tried various approaches to SGBV response, including preventing and reducing occurrence, linking to existing HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health services, and strengthening the capacities of the police, judicial, and social services sectors to improve psychosocial support and legal actions. However, countries typically have concentrated on one or two sectors that focus on adult survivors’ immediate needs without formal mechanisms for coordination or follow-up, or overarching national policies to hold all relevant sectors accountable. Until recently, there has been very little evidence in the region on how to effectively address SGBV taking into account local resource, cultural, and political realities. Since 2006, the Population Council has provided technical assistance and conducted research to strengthen the evidence base on SGBV programming in sub-Saharan Africa. These activities have created an active network of partners from across sub-Saharan Africa, who are developing, implementing and evaluating core elements of a comprehensive, multisectoral response model (see Figure 2). This model incorporates the overlapping and complementary responsibilities of three core sectors: health, police and justice, and social service sectors. It also recognizes that survivors require access to all services, but that it may not be feasible, appropriate, or cost-effective to deliver all services in one location. Details: Lusaka, Zambia: The Population Council, 2011. 8p. Source: Policy Brief from Population Council: Internet Resource: Accessed April 24, 2012 at http://www.svri.org/SGBVPolicyBriefPhase1.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Africa URL: http://www.svri.org/SGBVPolicyBriefPhase1.pdf Shelf Number: 125059 Keywords: Female Victims (Africa)Gender Based Violence (Africa)Sexual Violence (Africa) |