Page 59 - IJPS-10-3

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

experienced their first completed rape before age 18 (Basile healthy society, including wide-range discourse over the
et al., 2011; National Center for Injury Prevention and topics of sexual violence in the literature, current and past
Control & Division of Violence Prevention, 2022). A report studies have documented the existence of sexual violence
on the prevalence of lifetime sexual violence for US in 2010 in different forms and patterns in the studied countries
highlighted that approximately one in five women (18.3%) (Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria).
and 1 in 71 men (1.4%) in the US have been raped in their The specific types/forms identified are rape, IPSV,
lifetime as of 2010 (Basile et al., 2011). One out of 8 women harassment, workplace sexual violence, incest, and so on.
(13%) and 6% of men were reported to have had lifetime However, the merging of all these types/forms under the
experience of sexual coercion amounting to 15 million generic terminology of sexual violence could be misleading
women and 7 million men in the US (Basile et al., 2011). In and inform ill decisions, coupled with wrong approaches
addition, 43.2% of female and 51.3% of male rape victims in proffering solutions to this menace that has deeply
experienced their first sexual violence before 18 years old penetrated the fabric of the society. The different forms
(Basile et al., 2020). The global rate of sexual violence (for of sexual violence and their different prevalence rates as
women) is 35%, indicating that one out of every three highlighted in this systematic review require addressing
women have been sexually violated (WHO, 2021). The through broader prevention and control approaches. While
region of Oceania, Southern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa sexual violence occurrence is irrespective of ages, genders,
has been tagged as the regions with the highest prevalence and sexual orientation of the victims, it is more pronounced
rates of IPV (33% – 51%) among women (aged 15 – 49) among adolescents, young people, and especially the youth.
worldwide (WHO, 2021). While the Oceania takes the
lead (51%), followed by Southern Asia (35%), Sub-Saharan Specifically, each of the different kinds of sexual violence
Africa takes the share of 33% (WHO, 2021). In 2012, the activities, practices, or behaviors revealed in this review would
WHO reported that the prevalence rate of IPSV was 58.6% require distinct approaches, especially due to differential in
for Ethiopia (Province) and 16.5% for Namibia (city). The cultural permissiveness, which of course is overshadowing the
report also indicted that Brazil’s prevalence rates were gravity of the implications of the violence. For example, the
14.3% for all areas and 10.1% for cities. The corresponding solution or intervention strategy required for addressing incest
figures for Tanzania were 30.7% and 23.0%, and for in a culture where sex is considered a rite of passage (Likupe
Bangladesh were 49.7% and 37.4%, respectively. et al., 2021) would be different (both in type and application)
from where such practice is abhorred. Furthermore, in a
4. Discussion culture where wife is required to have sex with husband’s

This review presents the landscape of sexual violence rates visitor or where sex could be offered freely as a means of
documented for four sovereign states in Sub-Saharan entertaining guests (Chiazor et al., 2016) or communities
Africa, namely, Botswana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria. The that practice sexual cleansing (Amoo et al., 2022), strategies
idea behind this research is to highlight the peculiarity of to address wife raping through a legal sanction might not
each country in terms of sexual violence (physical sexual yield expected result. Distinctively, in any communities
violence) for the possible formulation of effective policy and where misconception that having sex with a virgin could cure
prevention interventions on sexual violence. The overriding acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is prevailing (Chiazor
motivation is to ensure the protection of boys’/girls’ and et al., 2016), which represents a crucial impetus behind the
men’s/women’s sexual rights toward plausible realization of increasing incest and child sexual abuse rates, the relevance of
SDG-3, and SDG-5. While Goal-3 focuses on good health cultural belief reorientation could be crucial.
and well-being for all ages, the Goal-5 aims at achieving In addition, in society where consanguineous
gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. marriages (i.e., interfamilial union) are allowed (Ibrahim
The statistics on the prevalence of rape, sexual harassment, & Serakinci, 2020), intervention to discourage sexual
child sexual abuse, and IPSV, including the places of relationship among the blood-related individuals could be
occurrence as reported in the reviewed literature, are crucial difficult to implement compared to where such practice is
insights for parents, young men and women, and school likened to abomination. Thus, where legal form or societal
administrators. The statistics are also critical for effective sanction could work in one, a form of cultural dilution
government policy and other preventive interventions that discourages such practices is necessary in the others.
implemented by stakeholders. The reviews revealed that Thus, modalities that could address sexual violence should
sexual violence is prevailing in the locations under study, be country- or community-specific. In most traditional
regardless of age, gender, social class, or community. While settings in Sub-Saharan Africa, the treatment or a discourse
there are public outcries over the incidence of sexual violence on rape activity would need special focus on the culture as it
and efforts gearing toward achieving an improved sexual relates to sexual relationship and behavior. The information

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 53 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.0621