Magnitude and types of sexual violence among school going adolescent in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Sexual violence is a grave human rights violation that disproportionately affects adolescents, leading to severe physical, emotional, and economic impacts. Despite its pervasiveness, sexual violence remains significantly underreported, creating a gap in our understanding and the effectiveness of response efforts. Objective: The main objective of this study is to assess the magnitude and type of sexual violence among school-going adolescents in Addis Ababa and to analyze the association of gender with sexual violence. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design assessing sexual violence and was conducted in selected 4 secondary schools in the two sub-cities of Addis Ababa. A stratified multi stage clustered sampling technique was used to ensure representative data collection. Data was gathered using a structured, self-administered, Amharic version paper-based questionnaire, targeting adolescents in grades 9-12, within the selected schools. Data was entered on epi info version 7 and analyzed using STATA version 14. Demographic characteristics of participants were summarized using medians, frequencies, and percentages. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between sexual violence and other independent variables controlling for possible confounders. Result: Lifetime prevalence of sexual violence was 37.8% ,95%CI (34.15, 41.56) and 24.4% 95% CI (21.26, 27.82) in the past one year. Fifty-nine percent of sexual violence was experienced by females and 40.9% by males. The most common types were sexual coercion and peer victimization. Logistic regression identified female gender, as significant predictor of experiencing sexual violence ,AOR 1.53, 95% CI, (1.02, 2.31) and p =0.039. Most sexual violence occurred at home and perpetrator was a family member in majority of sexual coercion. Seven out of ten did not believe justice would be served if sexual violence is reported. Conclusion and recommendation: The prevalence of sexual violence among adolescents is high. Female gender is a significant associated risk factor for experiencing sexual violence. The findings underscore the need for gender-based sexual violence prevention and reporting mechanisms among adolescents.