Ending violence against women: Help-seeking behaviour of women exposed to intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Introduction Intimate partner violence is a serious public health problem that transcends cultural bound aries in sub-Saharan Africa. Studies have reported that violence characteristics and percep tion are strong predictors of help-seeking among women. We assessed the prevalence and factors associated with help-seeking among female survivors of intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods We pooled data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of eighteen sub-Saharan African countries. The data were extracted from the women’s files in countries with datasets from 2014 to 2021. A weighted sample of 33,837 women in sexual relation ships: married or cohabiting who had ever experienced intimate partner violence within the five years preceding the survey were included in the analysis. Percentages with 95% confi dence interval (CI) were used to present the results of the prevalence of help-seeking for inti mate partner violence. We used a multilevel binary logistic regression analysis to examine the factors associated with help-seeking among survivors of intimate partner violence. The results were presented using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with their respective 95% CI. Statis tical significance was set at p<0.05. Results Out of the 33,837 women who had ever experienced intimate partner violence in sub-Saha ran Africa, only 38.77% (95% CI = 38.26–39.28) of them sought help. Ethiopia had th lowest prevalence of women who sought help after experiencing intimate partner violence (19.75%; 95% CI = 17.58–21.92) and Tanzania had the highest prevalence (57.56%; 95% CI = 55.86–59.26). Marital status, educational level, current working status, parity, exposure to interparental violence, women’s autonomy in household decision-making, mass media exposure, intimate partner violence justification, wealth index, and place of residence were associated with help-seeking behaviour of intimate partner violence survivors. Conclusion The low prevalence of help seeking among women who have experienced intimate partner violence in sub-Saharan Africa calls for the intensification of formal and informal sources of assistance. Education can play a critical role in empowering girls, which may increase future help-seeking rates. Through media efforts aimed at parental awareness, the long-term ben efits of females enrolling in school could be achieved. However, concentrating solely on indi vidual measures to strengthen women’s empowerment may not bring a significant rise in help-seeking as far as patriarchal attitudes that permit violence continue to exist. Conse quently, it is critical to address intimate partner violence from the dimensions of both the indi vidual and violence-related norms and attitudes. Based on the findings, there should be public awareness creation on the consequences of intimate partner violence. Respective governments must increase their coverage of formal support services to intimate partner violence survivors especially those in rural communities.