The relationship between parental presence and child sexual violence: Evidence from thirteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

There are compelling reasons to believe that orphans – many millions due to the AIDS epidemic – are more likely to be sexually victimized during childhood. Few studies have empirically investigated sexual violence disparities, and those that do suffer from methodological limitations and limited geographic scope. We used nationally-representative data on female adolescents (15-17 years) from 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We built multilevel logistic models to test for an association between the dependent variables (orphanhood and parental absence) and sexual violence, both within countries and pooled across all countries. Approximately 10% of adolescent girls reported past experiences of sexual violence; a third of those victimized were 14 years or younger at the time of their first forced encounter. Paternal orphaning (OR 1.36, p ≤ .01), double orphaning (OR 1.47, p ≤ .05), and paternal absence (OR 1.28; p ≤.05) were significantly associated with experiencing sexual violence in pooled analyses. Fewer findings reached significance within individual countries. Our findings suggest that the lack of a father in the home (due to death or absence) places girls at heightened risk for childhood sexual abuse; further research identifying pathways of vulnerability and resilience specific to this population is needed. Our findings also indicate that abuse often starts at an early age; thus promising programs should be adapted for younger age groups and rigorously tested.

Adverse childhood experiences: prevalence and associated factors among South African young adults

“…In Canada maternal single marital status was also reported to be associated with allegations of child maltreatment [44]. Further evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa suggests independent associations between paternal orphaning and parental absence and children experiencing sexual violence, with girls being at higher risk of sexual abuse [45]. In South Africa, a study conducted in the Western Cape found that family satisfaction ranked lower among households with absent fathers, partly due to limited economic resources [46].…”

Gender-related dimensions of childhood adversities in the general population

“…Therefore, differences in family organization seem to be related to different types of CAs in terms of vulnerability and profile of parental mental disorders 44. For example, the absence of a parent for any reason places girls at a higher risk of sexual abuse 45…”

Why Are Orphaned Adolescents More Likely to Be HIV Positive? Distinguishing Between Maternal and Sexual HIV Transmission Using 17 Nationally Representative Data Sets in Africa

“…22 Men were not asked these questions, and only a subset of DHS surveys included this scale for women. There was variation between countries in how sexual violence was measured (more information on this measure is available in 23 ).…”