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Research Article
Safeguarding women’s and girls’ wellbeing: Exploring the role of gender-based violence on HIV transmission in Zimbabwe
Godfrey Musuka
ICAP at Columbia University
Corresponding Author
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a growing epidemic, whose role in HIV transmissions remains minimally addressed by the majority of national HIV response interventions.
Methods
Statistical and geo-spatial analysis was used to explore the relationship between GBV variables and HIV status using data from Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, 2015-16.
Results
Women who were ever humiliated by their husbands or partners were 1.45 times more likely to be HIV positive than those who were never humiliated, p = 0.002. The same was true for women whose husbands or partners ever threatened to harm them or someone they love, OR (95%CI) 1.33 (1.04–1.68), p = 0.022. There was a positive association between HIV status and women who reported that their husband or partner, either pushed, shook, or threw something at them or punched them with his fist or with something that could hurt them or kicked, dragged or beat them, or tried to choke or burn them on purpose or threatened or attacked them with a knife or gun, or any other weapon. Women who experienced forced sexual violence with threats were more likely (odds 1.61, p = 0.019), to be HIV positive than those women who did not experience the same. Using geospatial mapping techniques our study has shown a substantial countrywide epidemic of GBV against women in Zimbabwe requiring urgent attention. Emotional GBV had a similar geographical distribution with HIV in the northern part of the country, where all three types of violence tend to aggregate.
Conclusion
There is a significant association between forms of GBV (emotional, physical, and sexual) and HIV status. The results suggest the need to strengthen interventions that empower women and girls with skills to withstand violence in order to curb HIV transmission. The engagement of men as proponents of gender equality, bringing other men to account for perpetuating GBV and actively countering violence against women and girls, is critical to the design of such interventions.
Keywords
HIV, Risk factors, Zimbabwe, Gender based Violence
Figure 1
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CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 18 Feb, 2021
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Reviewer #1 agreed
On 25 Feb, 2021
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Feb, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 15 Feb, 2021
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On 15 Feb, 2021
Editor invited
On 15 Feb, 2021
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On 15 Feb, 2021
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On 11 Feb, 2021
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This preprint is under consideration at BMC Women's Health. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research Article
Safeguarding women’s and girls’ wellbeing: Exploring the role of gender-based violence on HIV transmission in Zimbabwe
Godfrey Musuka
ICAP at Columbia University
Corresponding Author
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 18 Feb, 2021
No community comments so far
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 25 Feb, 2021
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Feb, 2021
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 15 Feb, 2021
Editor assigned
On 15 Feb, 2021
Editor invited
On 15 Feb, 2021
Submission checks complete
On 15 Feb, 2021
First submitted
On 11 Feb, 2021
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a growing epidemic, whose role in HIV transmissions remains minimally addressed by the majority of national HIV response interventions.
Methods
Statistical and geo-spatial analysis was used to explore the relationship between GBV variables and HIV status using data from Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, 2015-16.
Results
Women who were ever humiliated by their husbands or partners were 1.45 times more likely to be HIV positive than those who were never humiliated, p = 0.002. The same was true for women whose husbands or partners ever threatened to harm them or someone they love, OR (95%CI) 1.33 (1.04–1.68), p = 0.022. There was a positive association between HIV status and women who reported that their husband or partner, either pushed, shook, or threw something at them or punched them with his fist or with something that could hurt them or kicked, dragged or beat them, or tried to choke or burn them on purpose or threatened or attacked them with a knife or gun, or any other weapon. Women who experienced forced sexual violence with threats were more likely (odds 1.61, p = 0.019), to be HIV positive than those women who did not experience the same. Using geospatial mapping techniques our study has shown a substantial countrywide epidemic of GBV against women in Zimbabwe requiring urgent attention. Emotional GBV had a similar geographical distribution with HIV in the northern part of the country, where all three types of violence tend to aggregate.
Conclusion
There is a significant association between forms of GBV (emotional, physical, and sexual) and HIV status. The results suggest the need to strengthen interventions that empower women and girls with skills to withstand violence in order to curb HIV transmission. The engagement of men as proponents of gender equality, bringing other men to account for perpetuating GBV and actively countering violence against women and girls, is critical to the design of such interventions.
Figure 1