The risk factors of sexual violence among teenage girls living in rural areas of Uganda

Abstract

Globally, sexual violence is one of the major public health issues. The forms of sexual violence include rape, sex trafficking, female genital mutilation (FGM) and sexual harassment etc. The incidence of sexual violence among teenage girls is increasing; however, studies on the predictors of this violence have barely been explored in Uganda. This study seeks to examine the risk factors of sexual violence among teenage girls in rural areas of Uganda. The 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) women dataset was analyzed. A weighted sample of 429 women, age group (15-19) was used. The outcome variable was the experience of sexual violence by the respondents. Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression were used to examine the relationship between the various factors and the experience of sexual violence. The study revealed an 18.1% prevalence rate of sexual violence among teenage girls. Among these, 73% were aged 18-19, 87% had primary or no education, 64% were from a low-wealth status and 32% came from the Eastern region. At the bivariate level, religion (P=0.001), region (P=0.032), and partner’s alcohol consumption (0.001) were significantly associated with sexual violence. At the multivariate level, women from the Eastern region were more likely to experience sexual violence compared to women from the central region [OR=0.310; CI=1.10-9.53; p=0.049]. Women whose partners consumed alcohol were more likely to experience sexual violence compared to their counterparts whose husbands were not drinking [OR=2.11; CI=1.10-4.03; p=0.024]. Lastly, the odds of experiencing sexual violence were lower among Catholics and other religious affiliations compared to Anglicans [OR=0.38; CI=0.20-0.72; p=0.003] and [OR=0.27; CI=0.11-0.63; p=0.003] respectively. In conclusion, factors significantly associated with sexual violence included religion, region, and partner’s alcohol consumption. Teenagers from Eastern Uganda had the highest chances of experiencing sexual violence, and partners who frequently consumed alcohol were also linked to higher perpetuation of sexual abuse. Additionally, teenagers of the Anglican religion had higher chances of experiencing sexual violence. There is need to promote interventions targeting alcohol consumption, implementation of region specific programs on sexual violence and also the need to need to strengthen support systems for survivors of sexual violence.