Page 57 - IJPS-10-3

International Journal of
Population Studies Physical sexual violence in Sub-Saharan Africa

attempted rape, and 44% had been sexually harassed in ranking for rape prevalence (Wisevoter, 2023). While the
North-west Ethiopia (Fitaw et al., 2005). findings from our review could not uphold the ranking,
In their study, Dagnaw et al. (2021) reported that 4.8% studies reviewed highlighted the prevalence of sexual
(11) of 503 health-care providers interviewed at Obstetrics violence (in various forms) in Kenya. One study confirmed
and Gynecology Department of a regional hospital in that approximately 14% of women and girls aged 16 – 30, who
are the usual targets of sexual abusers, have been subjected
Ethiopia had been victims of sexual violence. Overall, to sexual violence in Kenya (Rudolph et al., 2022). Reported
44.5% of the health-care providers had reported workplace information showed that over 11 million women in Kenya
violence (Dagnaw et al., 2021). Another study among 330 have experienced sexual violence in their lifetime according
night-shift female college students (mean age of 24.9) in to the National Monitoring and Evaluation Framework
Hawassa city of South Ethiopia reported that 61.2% (202 toward the Prevention of and Response to Sexual and Gender
out of 330 students) had experienced sexual violence in Based Violence in Kenya (Wambui, 2018).
the past 12 months before the survey. The rate reported
included 13.9% (46) that suffered rape, 6.9% (23) that The National Violence Against Children Survey
experienced attempted rape, and 49.4% (163) that suffered indicated that one out of every three girls and one out of
sexual harassment (Esayas et al., 2023). The independent every five boys in Kenya experiences at least one form of
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predictors observed in the study included the consumption sexual or physical violence before attaining 18 birthday.
of alcohol by the victim. Other records showed that The survey report indicated that 47% of women (aged
approximately 27% of women (aged 15 – 49 years) have 16 – 30) have experienced physical or sexual violence
experienced at least one form of sexual violence in their while over 11 million women in Kenya are vulnerable to a
lifetime, the specific prevalence rate is 35.0% among lifetime sexual violence (Flowe et al., 2020).
ever-married women, 28.6% among students, and 46.3% There are also pockets of information from Human
among housemaids (Dufera et al., 2021; Mekonnen et al., Rights Defenders, obtained from the shared individual
2022; Protection Cluster & UNFPA, 2022). The specific stories. A report from Stevens et al. (2022) indicated that
husband/partner sexual violence was recorded at 51.8%. almost 41% of women in Kenya have experienced either
As reported, gender-based violence (GBV) increased in physical violence or IPSV in their lifetime and nearly 26%
Ethiopia from 3.5 million in 2021 to 5.8 million in 2022 have experienced it in the past 12 months before the survey
(Dufera et al., 2021; Mekonnen et al., 2022; Protection period (Stevens et al., 2022). The Kenya Demographic and
Cluster & UNFPA, 2022). Health Survey 2013 was one of the first formal studies
Series of factors identified included the culture of to characterize sexual violence in Kenya after the novel
silence over sexual violence, traditional treatment of research agenda setting by the Population Council in 2008
women as men’s property, and use of sex as a tool of (Stevens et al., 2022). The report also added that sexual
violence against women and girls in Kenya is committed
procuring favor (Altinyelken & Le Mat, 2018). Other mostly by intimate partners (boy-friends or husbands) and
factors identified in another study included age difference non-partners (Mathur et al., 2018; Stevens et al., 2022).
between the partners, economic status of the household,
and the employment status of the husband (Kaufman et al., A study conducted in Nairobi, Kenya, among adolescent
2019; Yitbarek et al., 2019b). Kaufman et al. (2019) also girls and young women highlighted that sexual harassment
observed that education (on its own) could be limited in was prevalent before and during COVID-19, with 18.1%
exerting the expected reduction in the risk and number of of the respondents reporting having experienced sexual
women facing violence (Kaufman et al., 2019). harassment before the study year (August to October 2020)
and 66.6% during and after COVID-19 (Bevilacqua et al.,
3.2.3. Kenya experience 2022). The Wangu Kanja Foundation statistics as reported
There are various levels of interventions on sexual violence by other scholars have shown that more than 32% of female
in Kenya, among which the potent is the Sexual Offences population have experienced sexual violence before their
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Act in Kenya that prohibits rape of any type (attempted 18 birthday (Cherop, 2020)
rape, completed rape, compelled or induced indecent acts, Kosgei et al. (2021) examined the psychological outcomes
and defilement). There are also a few seemingly institutional of sexual assault among survivors seeking care at a gender-
sensitization surveys (e.g., Kenya National Demographic and based clinic, Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi (Kosgei
Health Survey; National Violence Against Children Survey). et al., 2021). To understand this phenomenon, the authors
Notwithstanding, there are records on sexual violence (from adopted a mixed cross-sectional method to survey 44 sexual
health, police, or court systems) including Human Rights assault victims, yielding valuable results. Participants were
Defenders. The country is also ranked 103 on the global 44 sexually assaulted females aged 16 – 30 years. The majority
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Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 51 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0621