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Effects of GBV on Women’s Reproductive Health
December 10 marks the end of the 16 days of activism and awareness against Gender-Based Violence (GBV); according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 3 women across the world have experienced physical and or sexual violence. Intimate partner violence and sexual violence are forms of violence against women and have become a big public health problem.
The most common and known effects of intimate partner violence are the physical and mental effects. Physical and mental effects include injuries obtained during assault, anxiety, low self-esteem, post-traumatic stress, and depression. Aside from these, sexual violence can affect women’s reproductive health in unpleasant ways. While there is so much debate on marital rape, women also experience sexual violence from their partner or lover but feel helpless to resist or seek help when needed because of shame and lack of finance to care for themselves when they leave their abuser.
It is important to note that IPV and sexual violence can be from a current or present intimate partner or ex-partner, while sexual violence is sexual acts carried out using force by anyone regardless of their relationship to the victim against their will. Different factors are responsible for both intimate partner violence and sexual violence. Factors linked with IPV are;
- Marital dissatisfaction
- Complexities in communicating between partners
- Male controlling behaviors towards partners
Factors with sexual violence are;
- Weak legal punishment for sexual violence
- Faith or belief in family honor and sexual purity
- Creed or culture of male sexual entitlement
All these and more are factors that encourage intimate partner violence and sexual violence within society. These collectively have severe health consequences such as reproductive health problems for victims (women). Here are reproductive health challenges associated with IPV and sexual violence.
- Unintended pregnancies
- Induced abortions
- Sexually transmitted infections
- Gynecological problems such as genital tracts infections, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids
- Increased likelihood of miscarriage
- Stillbirth
- Pre-term delivery
- Low birth weight babies
- Pelvic pain
It is our job to end all forms of gender-based violence by speaking up and providing supports to victims when they need help.