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. 2024 Jun 11;19(6):e0304459.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0304459. eCollection 2024.

Uncovering community needs regarding violence against women and girls in southern Ethiopia: An explorative study

Metasebia Admassu  1 , Lenka Benova  1 , Christiane Nöstlinger  1 , Aline Semaan  1 , Aliki Christou  1 , Claudia Nieto-Sanchez  1 , Marie Laga  1 , Misganu Endriyas  2 , Thérèse Delvaux  1
Affiliations

Uncovering community needs regarding violence against women and girls in southern Ethiopia: An explorative study

Metasebia Admassu et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a significant global public health problem and a violation of human rights experienced by one in three women worldwide. This study explores community perceptions of and responses to VAWG and challenges in accessing support services among female violence survivors in Arbaminch City.

Methods: We adopted a phenomenological explorative qualitative study design. A total of 62 participants including female violence survivors, religious leaders, service providers, police, women, and men in participated in interviews, focus group discussions, and observations in August 2022. Participants were selected purposively, and the findings were analyzed thematically. We applied data source and respondent triangulation to increase the findings' trustworthiness.

Results: Community perceptions of VAWG, specifically of intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner sexual violence (NPSV), varied depending on gender, age, and social position. IPV and NPSV were normalized through tolerance and denial by young and married men, while resistance to all forms of violence was common among women. Survivors of violence responded to the act of violence by leaving their homes, separating from their husbands, or taking harsh actions against their husbands, such as murder. Support for VAWG survivors was available through health care, free legal services, and a temporary shelter. Yet factors ranging from individual to societal levels, such as fear, lack of knowledge, lack of family and community support, and social and legal injustice, were barriers to accessing existing services. Nonetheless, violence survivors desired to speak about their experiences and seek psychosocial support.

Conclusions: Our qualitative evidence gathered here can inform tailored VAWG prevention and response services such as interventions to shift social norms and the perception towards VAWG among different population group through raising awareness in schools, health care settings, faith-based venues, and using social media.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Map of the study site in Southern Ethiopia, Gamo zone, Arbaminch City, 2022.
The figure was created in ArcMap V.10.5 (ESRI, Redlands, California, USA) by the author with data sourced from OpenStreetMap.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Illustration of study and participant recruitment site.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Illustrations of responses to the acts of violence by the study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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