Experimental evidence and validation of measures on gender-based violence

State University New York Stony Brook, Stony Brook NY

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Linked publications & trials

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Gender-based violence, has received increasing attention among researchers and international organizations. The adverse public health effects of gender-based violence include increased exposure to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), gynecological fistula, unwanted pregnancy, psychological sequelae, chronic pain, physical disability, and depression and substance abuse. Additionally, there are negative social and economic impacts, including costs of medical treatment and lost worker productivity, of gender-based violence on survivors and their families. Stakeholders including policymakers and community organizations often seek to estimate the prevalence of sexual and intimate partner violence in an effort to garner support to address it or to more accurately tailor interventions. Prevalence of gender based violence is often estimated, but many existing estimates have severe limitations. Furthermore, the effects of questionnaire design on reporting of sexual violence have not been tested in developing countries or post-conflict settings as has been done in developed countries. A two-part study will be conducted to address these issues. In the first part we will analyze recent data from 23 countries using Demographic and Health Surveys, and in the second part we analyze new data from an original, randomized-design survey in Uganda. The aims of our study are to (1) quantify bounds for underestimation in existing estimates of gender-based violence, including sexual violence in conflict, based on police reports and medical facility-based studies; (2) depict how women who report to medical, legal and social institutions after experiencing violence differ from women who do not seek care or report to better understand which groups are more likely to be included in current estimates of gender-based violence prevalence; and (3) test the effects of questionnaire design and fieldwork implementation on women's reporting of sexual violence using a randomized design. This study will be, to our knowledge, the first to evaluate the effects of questionnaire design on reporting o sexual violence in a developing country.