Household Debt and Relation to Intimate Partner Violence and Husbands' Attitudes Toward Gender Norms: A Study Among Young Married Couples in Rural Maharashtra, India

Is household food insecurity associated with social attitudes accepting of physical intimate partner violence against women in Nigeria? A population-level cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Although prior research suggests that household food insecurity (HFI) is associated with intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW), there is a paucity of research regarding its impact on attitudes accepting of IPVAW. We examined whether individuals experiencing HFI are more likely to accept physical IPVAW, whether the association varies by gender and whether it persists when models are adjusted for other confounders.

DESIGN

Population-level cross-sectional analysis.

SETTING

This study used the round 6 of the UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in Nigeria.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample included 23 200 women and 7087 men, aged 15-49 years, who were currently married or in union and responded to the attitudes towards domestic violence and HFI modules in the MICS.

OUTCOME MEASURES AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Attitudinal acceptance of physical IPVAW (specific forms and overall). We conducted weighted multivariable logistic regression to estimate the OR and their corresponding 95% CIs of the associations of food insecurity (FI) with attitudinal acceptance of physical IPVAW, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Multivariable results indicate that severe HFI was positively associated with attitudinal acceptance physical IPVAW in at least one of the scenarios presented (aOR=1.11; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.22). Individuals experiencing severe HFI had higher odds of physical IPVAW acceptance when wife neglects the children (aOR=1.15; 95% CI: 1.02 to 1.31). The likelihood of physical IPVAW acceptance if wife burns the food was lower for women experiencing moderate HFI (aOR=0.86; 95% CI: 0.74 to 0.99). Stratified analyses indicated heterogeneity in the association between HFI and attitudinal acceptance of physical IPVAW by gender.

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that, depending on the severity, FI status may be associated with attitudinal acceptance of physical IPVAW, with potential variations based on gender. The public health implications are discussed.

Violence Against Women in India: An Analysis of Correlates of Domestic Violence and Barriers and Facilitators of Access to Resources for Support

Purpose

Domestic violence (DV) is a significant public health problem in India, with women disproportionately impacted. This study a) identified risk and protective correlates of DV and, b) barriers and facilitators for seeking and receiving help for DV among women in India.

Methods

A systematic search of 5 databases was performed to identify correlates of DV in the quantitative literature. The search resulted in inclusion of 68 studies for synthesis. For qualitative exploration, data were collected from 27 women in India.

Results

While factors such as social norms and attitudes supportive of DV were both risk correlates and barriers to addressing DV, omen's empowerment, financial independence and informal sources of support were both protective correlates of DV as well as facilitators in addressing DV.

Conclusions

Strong efforts in India are needed to reduce DV-related risk factors and strengthen protective factors and enhance access to care for women in abusive relationships.

Releasing the Tide: How Has a Shock to the Acceptability of Gender-Based Sexual Violence Affected Rape Reporting to Police in India?

National household data suggest that more than four million women in India have experienced nonspousal rape. Fewer than 1.5% of victims of sexual violence in India report their assaults to police, though there is some indication of increased rape reporting to police following a very high-profile fatal gang rape in Delhi in December 2012. This study examines effects of the Delhi gang rape on rape reporting to police in India, and assesses the roles played by geography, media access, and women's status and protection factors in that reporting. Triangulated data from Indian crime, census, and police bureau records were used to assess trends in rape reporting to police at national and district levels from 2005 to 2016, using regressions, spatial mapping, and graphical trend analyses. Nationally, there was a 33% increase in annual rapes reported to police after 2012. Subnationally, there was substantial variation in trends; these district-level changes were particularly affected by distance from Delhi (0.2 fewer rapes reported to police/100,000 women for each 100 km from Delhi), literacy sex ratio (0.6 more rapes for every increase of 0.1 in male: female literacy ratio), and the presence of a women's police station (1.0 fewer rapes reported to police/100,000 women relative to districts with no women's police station). The 2012 Delhi gang rape significantly affected rape reporting to police in India, with greater increases seen closer to Delhi and in districts with compromised gender equity. Further work to support the rights and safety of women is needed, including bolstering an enabling environment for reporting, legal protections, and responsive criminal justice.

Home was not a safe haven: women's experiences of intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Emergency situations, including epidemics, increase incidence of violence against women, especially intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper describes specific scenarios of IPV reported by women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria to provide insight for policy and programmatic efforts.

METHODS

This paper draws on seven de-identified case reports from organisations serving women experiencing IPV as well as media coverage of IPV cases in Nigeria, between April and May, 2020.

RESULTS

In most cases, reports identified IPV that was occurring prior to the lockdown, but increased in severity or involved new types of violence during the lockdown. The case scenarios included descriptions of many forms of IPV commonly reported, including physical, economic, psychological and sexual violence, often concurrently. Several women also reported threats of being thrown out of their homes by perpetrators, which threatens women's ability to protect themselves from exposure to COVID-19, but could also leave women stranded with no access to transportation, social services, or other resources during the lockdown. Several women also reported IPV that involved custody of children, as well as IPV that disrupted women's income generation. IPV was also reported in relation to economic stressors associated with the lockdown. Reports highlight how the lockdown disrupted women's social support, hindering accessibility of formal and informal sources of help.

CONCLUSION

The lockdowns in Nigeria may have inadvertently placed women already experiencing partner violence at risk for experiencing more severe violence, new challenges to cope with violent experiences, and other forms of violence, including violence that used the lockdown as a way to threaten women's security and ability to protect themselves from the virus. Hence, there is need for innovative approaches to support victims, with emphasis on ways in which perpetrators of IPV may be using the threat of COVID-19 to further gain power and control over partners.

Public health impact of marital violence against women in India

The public health ramifications of marital violence are well documented and include injury, mental health concerns and physical health consequences for women and their offspring. Unfortunately, there remains social tolerance and even acceptance of these abuses against women, and health systems in India have done little to support victims despite their greater health risks. However, there are promising efforts and important advancements in India that could be built on for more effective prevention and support for women. Men and boys should be engaged in gender transformative interventions with male role models to alter men's attitudes of acceptability of and justification for marital violence and consequently their actual abusive behaviours. Given the strong demonstrated connection between men's risky and problem alcohol use and marital violence, alcohol interventions may also be beneficial. We must support women and girls vulnerable to marital violence, a group disproportionately affected by violence in their natal families as well, so they know that violence need not be part of their marriage relationship, and have skills on how to engage and communicate with or even leave their male partners to reduce their risk for violence. Formal services should be expanded for those in immediate danger and particularly for rural areas, where prevalence of marital violence is highest and supports are weakest. Finally, given the pervasiveness of attitudes accepting husbands' marital violence against women, and the fact that these have remained largely unchanged in India for a decade, large scale community and social change efforts are needed.

Longitudinal analysis of the impact of economic empowerment on risk for intimate partner violence among married women in rural Maharashtra, India

The purpose of this study was to assess via longitudinal analysis whether women's economic empowerment and financial inclusion predicts incident IPV. This prospective study involved analysis of three waves of survey data collected from rural young married women (n = 853 women) in Maharashtra at baseline and 9&18 month follow-ups. This study, which was in the field from 2012 to 2014, was conducted as part of a larger family planning evaluation study unrelated to economic empowerment. Participants were surveyed on economic empowerment, as measured by items on women's income generation and joint decision-making of husband's income, and financial inclusion, as measured by bank account ownership. Women's land ownership and participation in microloan programs were also assessed but were too rare (2-3% reporting) to be included in analyses. Longitudinal regression models assessed whether women's economic empowerment predicted incident IPV at follow-up. At Wave 1 (baseline), one in ten women reported IPV in the past six months; 23% reported income generation; 58% reported having their own money; 61% reported joint control over husband's money, and 10% reported bank ownership. Women's income generation and having their own money did not predict IPV over time. However, women maintaining joint control over their husband's income were at a 60% reduced risk for subsequent incident IPV (AOR = 0.40; 95% CI = 0.18, 0.90), and women gaining joint control over time were at a 70% reduced risk for subsequent incident IPV (AOR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.13, 0.72), relative to women whose husbands maintained sole control over his income. Women who initiated a new bank account by Wave 3 also had a 56% reduced likelihood of reporting incident IPV in this same wave (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.93), relative to those who maintained no bank account at Waves 1 and 3. These findings suggest that women's joint control over husband's income and her financial inclusion as indicated by bank ownership appear to reduce risk for IPV, whereas her income generation or control over her own income do not. Awareness of and participation in financial inclusion services may help reduce women's risk for IPV in rural India and elsewhere.