Is sexual autonomy a protective factor against intimate partner violence? Evidence from 27 sub-Saharan African countries

by Getayeneh Antehunegn Tesema, Fred Yao Gbagbo, Sylvester R. Okeke, Edward Kwabena Ameyaw, Sanni Yaya

Though women in sub-Saharan Africa have increased risk of intimate sexual violence, research on the association between sexual autonomy and intimate partner violence among this population has not received the requisite attention. Consequently, we investigated if sexual autonomy is a protective factor against intimate partner violence among women in sub-Saharan Africa.

Secondary data analysis was conducted based on the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) of 27 sub-Saharan African countries from 2008 to 2021. A total of 104,523 married or cohabitating women were included in the study. We applied a multilevel Poisson regression model with robust variance to identify associated factors. Variables with a p-value<0.2 in the bi-variable multilevel Poisson regression analysis were considered for the multivariable analysis. The Adjusted Prevalence Ratio (APR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported, and variables with a p-value <0.05 were included in the multivariable analysis.

The prevalence of intimate partner violence and sexual autonomy among women in SSA were 32.96% [95% CI: 32.68%, 33.25%] and 88.79% [95% CI: 88.59%, 88.97%], respectively. Women in Sierra Leone had the highest prevalence of IPV (52.71%) while Comoros had the lowest prevalence of IPV (8.09%). The prevalence of sexual autonomy was highest in Namibia (99.22%) and lowest in Mali (61.83%). The MOR value in the null model was 1.26. We found that women who had sexual autonomy are 1.28 times [APR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.17, 1.40] more likely to experience IPV than women who had no sexual autonomy.

This study has demonstrated that sexual autonomy is significantly associated with intimate partner violence, however, it does not necessarily act as a protective factor. The study suggests the need for more education on intimate partner violence targeting women’s partners. This can help secure the commitment of the perpetrators to rather become proponents of anti-intimate partner violence and further offer women the necessary support for them to attain their full fundamental rights in all spheres of life.