Sexual violence is one of the commonest forms of violence experienced by women [1, 2]. Sexual violence refers to any sexual act or attempt to obtain sexual act against an individual’s will, unwanted sexual advances and comments that may be directed against anyone’s sexuality regardless of who the perpetrator is and where it is happening [2]. Sexual violence manifests in different forms like sexual harassment, completed rape, attempted rape, degrading or humiliating sexual acts, bad touches and unwanted sexual comments [3]. Males are reported to be the most common sexual violence perpetrators, including acquaintances, family members, and intimate partners like boyfriends and husbands and very few occurrences are attributable to strangers [4–6].
Multiple studies have shown that sexual violence negatively impacts both the victims and their families [7–11]. Women who experience sexual violence are at risk of contracting Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancies, stigmatization, family break-ups, depression and resorting to alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism [12]. There are instances where this violence also results in physical harm [8, 10, 11, 13]. However, these effects were found to be more pronounced among pregnant women due to their vulnerable state [14]. Studies show that expectant women who are victims of sexual violence are at higher risk of pregnancy-related complications such as preterm birth, low birth weight, and delayed prenatal care [15, 16].
Sexual violence towards women is a major violation of human rights and a global public health challenge with mental and physical effects on the well-being of women and their children [17–19]. The World Health Organization (WHO) report shows that 27% of women aged 15–49 years experience either sexual or physical violence in their lifetime [2]. Other reports show that at least one in every three women experiences sexual violence in their lifetime [2, 17, 20, 21]. A review of databases from 195 countries worldwide revealed an overall prevalence of sexual violence against women at 35.6% [22].
A systematic analysis of studies in sub-Saharan Africa shows that the overall prevalence of sexual violence against women is 18.7% [20]. South Africa still reports the highest prevalence rates of sexual violence against women aged 18–49 years at 37.9% [23]. In East African countries like Kenya and Uganda, lifetime sexual violence stands at 20.5% and 24.3% respectively [24, 25]. In those countries, the prevalence of sexual violence has been demonstrated to also be high among pregnant women at 34.8% and 36.1% respectively [19, 26].
Various studies done in sub-Saharan Africa show that sexual violence just like other forms of violence against women is influenced by multiple factors [27–31]. Some of the factors include individual factors like age and education level, demographic characteristics like living in rural areas, social and contextual factors like secretive culture, inadequate religious beliefs and gender inequalities, and finally, need factors like relying on husbands for basic survival [27–31]. Additional factors such as witnessing family sexual violence during childhood, drug abuse, difficulties in effective communication among couples, marital discord, male controlling behaviour and community norms were found to be associated with sexual violence [19, 32]. Current pregnancy status has also previously been identified as one of the associated factors of sexual violence [33]. A systematic review found a worldwide prevalence of sexual violence among pregnant women at 31% [34]. Another systematic review and meta-analysis of the worldwide prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant women revealed that sexual violence accounted for 5.5% of IPV cases [35].
Sexual violence among women and its predictors in Rwanda has been barely explored, with existing few studies focusing on pregnant women [36, 37] and female sex workers [38]. With this scanty literature, it creates a gap in the formulation and implementation of practical interventions in addressing this public health issue. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the prevalence of sexual violence and its associated factors among women of reproductive age in Rwanda, using the recent 2020 Rwanda Demographic and Health survey. This information would help in guiding policy formulations and interventions aimed at addressing sexual violence.