Magnitude and Type of Physical Violence Against Married Women in Meskan and Mareko District Southern Ethiopia
No Thumbnail Available
Date
1996-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Abeba Universty
Abstract
The seriousness in magnitude of physical violence, and lack of information on the dimensions and
context of the problem here in Ethiopia, have made this paper to be important. A cross-sectional
survey and a focus group discussion were conducted in Meskanena Mareko woreda, South western
Ethiopia, for a period of one month with an objective to assess the magnitude and types of physical
violence against married women and its associated factors. A total of 673 married women were
included in the study.
The study found out the overall prevalence of physical violence on married women to be 45.0 %
and 9.7 % in their lifetime and last three months, respectively. The type of physical violence most
frequently observed was slapping or hitting a woman with a fist, kicking with leg, and hitting with
stick or iron bar. The out comes of the physical violence ranged from small laceration to
permanent damages.
The study has also shown that khat chewing than not chewing (OR= 1.59, 95 % CI: 1.13, 2.23),
marriage initiated by family than by self (OR= 1.94, 95 % CI: 1.14, 3.37), having history of
parental spousal abuse than don't have (OR= 1.89 95 % CI: 1.37, 2.39), having social confidant
than don't have (OR= 1.95, 95 % CI: 1.30, 2.97) and alcoholic than non alcoholic spouses were the
most contributing factors to the increase in magnitude of physical violence against married women.
We recommend policy makers to be involved to entail the problem and increase public awareness
of physical violence and introduce enforcing law and other researchers to carry out an in depth
study to identify circumstances of physical violence, what the community regards physical violence
and to come up with further analysis in terms of spouses point of view.
Description
Keywords
Magnitude and Type of Physical Violence Against Married Women