Spousal Sexual Violence and the Rights of Women in Central Region of Uganda

Abstract The prevalence of sexual violence in Uganda is a major concern, especially in the era of HIV/AIDS. According to the UDHS 2006 national figures, about 36 percent of women who have experienced sexual violence, the first experience of violence occurred at age 15-19. 18 percent was below the age of 15. Levels of sexual violence were highest in the Central Region of Uganda. The main objective of the study was to establish the determinants of sexual violence among women in the Central region of Uganda. The study was guided by specific objectives namely, to establish the woman's sociodemographic determinants of. sexual violence; to determine the extent to which the partner's alcohol consumption influences sexual violence among women; and to establish the extent to which a woman's economic status influences the occurrence of sexual violence. The research was based on the Uganda Demographic Health Survey data of 2006. The data were analyzed using STATA (9.0). Analysis was done using 3 levels, univariate; bivariate and multivariate. Results of the analysis at bivariate analysis revealed that, there is a significant relationship between a woman's education level and a man's alcohol consumption. At multivariate level, woman's education level and the man's alcohol abuse were the variables that emerged to have a significant influence on sexual violence in Central Uganda. Prevalence of sexual violence is lower among the currently divorced/separated, 44 percent of women who have experienced sexual violence experienced it at the hands of a current husband or partner, while 22 percent experienced it by a former partner. The likelihood of experiencing sexual violence decreases with a woman's educational attainment, and it is higher among women in the middle income index than those in the lowest and highest indices. Therefore, the study recommends that for control on sexual violence, efforts should be placed on formal education of people about dangers of sexual violence and regulation of alcohol and local brew consumption and putting in place measures to enforce the law on sexual abuse in Uganda and particularly the Central region.