Domestic violence exposure of married women in a rural area in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Introduction: Domestic violence (DV) is common but underreported in the world. In Sri Lanka, information with this regard is scarce. The present study investigated the domestic violence exposure of married women in a rural area in the country. Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 women in a conveniently selected Public Health Midwife area in Isurumuniya, in Anuradhapura. A self-reported questionnaire measured lifetime experiences of physical, emotional and sexual violence with individual, partners and family factors contributing to this problem. Results: The overall DV exposure was 49% (n = 196), among them 53.4% emotional violence, 25.3% physical violence and 21.3% sexual violence exposures were reported. When comparing DV exposed and the nonexposed groups, significant differences were observed in women's education level, occupation, partners' substance abuse, number of children in the family and partner's parent living with the family. Age, partner's occupation, family income and women's parent living with the family showed no significant difference in exposure to DV. Among the exposed, only 58.2% had looked for help from others and 17% had obtained medical advices. Conclusions: DV exposure is prevalent among married women. This issue needs attention from relevant authorities and necessary actions need to be taken to minimize this burden in the society.

Intimate partner violence constrains timely utilisation of antenatal care services among Armenian women

“…These findings are similar to a study in Iran, Sri Lanka, India. [ 18 19 26 ] This study also offered that IPV affects the timing of ANC utilisation, and there is no significant association found with the number of ANC visits by pregnant women. Same was reported by the researchers in Nepal that pregnant women exposed to IPV are less likely to register for ANC services.…”

“…[ 15 16 ] In this study, about 58% women ≥35 years of age have experienced IPV whereas the prevalence rate in Brazil was 45.2%, 54.5% in Iran, 49% in Sri Lanka and 43.4% in Portugal. [ 17 18 19 20 ] The number of ANC visits is associated with place of residence. The women from urban areas are more using ANC services than women from rural areas, which is in line with another research conducted in Ethiopia.…”

Domestic violence exposure and depression symptoms among adolescents in a rural area in the Galle District

“…25% of children are reported as having witnessed violence at home (1). In Sri Lanka, the prevalence of domestic violence is high as 49% (2) and therefore the values could be higher. Catani and the group revealed that 97% of children in Northern part of the country have exposure to domestic violence (3).…”