Determinants of sexual violence in Bukedi Region of Uganda

Abstract

Introduction: Sexual violence is one of the major health challenges since the victims are subjected to physical and psychological harm. The magnitude at which the women and girls experience sexual violence is high in most regions of the country and in certain instances it is not well known. Thus, the need to assess the determinants of sexual violence in Bukedi region. The main objective: The main objective of the study was to examine the determinants of sexual violence in the Bukedi region in Uganda. Methodology: The study used secondary data which was attained from the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey women data file. It considered a total of 459 women in reproductive age in Bukedi region. Results: The results from the study showed that there is a relationship between some of the background factors and sexual violence as the P-values are less than 0.05 which means that socio-economic factors such as education level, wealth index, age at first marriage and alcohol consumption influence sexual violence. Conclusion: The findings from the study showed that most of the background factors are key determinants of sexual violence in the Bukedi region in Uganda. The study therefore concluded that the prevalence of sexual violence in Uganda is still high and is significantly ascribed to a number of socio-economic factors. Recommendations: The findings from the study should be availed to the Government of Uganda, in line ministries such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Gender and Social Development and other stakeholders in order to reduce the incidences of sexual violence among women through improvement and formation of partnerships with education sector, women empowerment and also improvement in implementation of laws and policies about sexual violence issues.