GBV ranges from physical, sexual, emotional and other family violence to female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, early childbearing, trafficking and sexual violence as a weapon of war.
While gender-based violence affects women and children of all ages, in East and Southern Africa, adolescents and young women are particularly at risk. Harmful practices, including female genital mutilation (FGM frequently asked questions) and child marriage, have significant consequences on agency and bodily autonomy, impacting women’s health and their right to choose when, if and how many children they wish to bear.
Violence against women is pervasive, including digital spaces. Worldwide, data from The Economist Alliance Unit indicates that 38 per cent of women with Internet access have personally experienced online violence.
GBV has serious consequences for women’s physical health, as well as their sexual and reproductive health, and mental health. It is a fundamental violation of women’s human rights and has adverse economic and social consequences for men, women, their children, families and communities.
The high rate of violence against women and girls in the region is maintained by the persistence of harmful gender norms, alcohol use and overall increased poverty, violence in urban slum areas and conflict areas. Partner violence and the fear of abuse prevent girls from refusing sex and jeopardize their ability to negotiate condom use, studies in sub-Saharan Africa have found.
The region has a high prevalence of GBV and harmful practices among adolescents and young women. Of girls aged 20 to 24 years, 31 per cent were married before the age of 18 (2020). Harmful practices, including female genital mutilation and child marriage, continue to persist in the region with significant consequences to agency and bodily autonomy.
In seven countries in the region, about 20 per cent of people aged 15 to 24 years reported that they had experienced sexual violence from an intimate partner. Sexual violence against early adolescents aged 15 years and below is highest in the conflict and post-conflict countries of the DRC, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
Women and girls with disabilities are estimated to be up to 10 times more likely to experience sexual violence, with a range of 40 to 68 per cent of girls with disabilities below 18 experiencing sexual violence. Fewer than 10 per cent of adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 who experienced forced sex asked for professional help, due to fear, stigma, discrimination and a lack of services.
Gender-responsive legislation and policies are increasing in reach and momentum. In sub-Saharan Africa, around 65 per cent of countries have laws specifically criminalizing domestic violence. Legislation is, however, often limited in scope and coverage or is not enforced. Across countries, domestic violence legislation varies greatly in scope and applicability. Only 37 per cent of the sub-Saharan African countries have laws covering physical, sexual, psychological, and economic violence.
The continent has achieved progress in terms of women’s political participation in sub-Saharan Africa, with 24 per cent of women in parliament (2020). Nevertheless, women’s agency, especially among young women, and decision-making over their bodies is still limited. The latest UNFPA data show that globally, only 55 per cent of married or in-union women aged 15 to 49 make their own decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights. Analysis of the data from 57 countries, including East and Southern Africa, shows that while women seem to have the most autonomy in deciding to use contraception, only three in four women can decide on their own health care or say no to se
A Guest Editorial