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Prevalence of emotional, physical and sexual abuse of women in three South African provinces
Abstract
Introduction. There is growing recognition in the ranks of the South African government that violence against women is a serious problem facing us all. Until now data on the epidemiology of violence against women in South Africa have been scanty. This report presents the findings of the first major community-based prevalence study.
Objectives. To describe the prevalence of physical, sexual, financial, and emotional abuse of women.
Methods. A cross-sectional study conducted in the Eastern Cape (EC), Mpurnalanga (MP) and the orthern Province (NP). The sample included one randomly selected woman aged 18 - 49 years living in each of 2 232 households. The sample was drawn using stratified, multistage, random methods, and 1 306 questionnaires were completed, giving a,90.3% response rate after adjusting for households without an eligible woman.
Results. The prevalences of ever having been physically abused by a current or ex-partner were 26.8% (EC), 28.4% (MP) and 19.1% (NP). The prevalences of abuse in the last year were 10.9% (EC), 11.9% (MP) and 4.5% (NP). The prevalences of rape were 4.5% (EC), 7.2% (MP) and 4.8% (NP). Considerable emotional and financial abuse was also reported, e.g. the prevalences of a partner having boasted about or brought home girlfriends in the previous year were 5.0% (EC), 10.4% (MP) and 7.0% (NP). The prevailences of physical abuse during a pregnancy were 9.1% (BC), 6.7% (MP) and 4.7% (NP). The proportions of abused women who were injured in the year before the survey were 34.5% (EC), 48.0% (MP) and 60% to (NP).
Conclusions. This study is the first large-scale, communitybased prevalence study to be undertaken in South Africa The main findings are that emotional, financial and physical abuse are common features of relationships and that many women have been raped. Physical violence often continues during pregnancy and constitutes an important cause of reproductive morbidity. Many women are injured by their partners and considerable health sector resources are expended providing treatment for these injuries.
