Speaker
Description
Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive global public health and human rights issue that negatively affects the physical, psychological, sexual, and reproductive health of millions of women and girls. Even if numerous studies have reported a high prevalence of GBV and identified various determinants, there is a lack of consolidated evidence on the issue.
Objective: This umbrella review aimed to synthesize the current evidence from systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRMA) on the prevalence and determinants of GBV among women and girls in Africa, 2025.
Methods: This review followed PRISMA 2020 guidelines and was registered with PROSPERO. The major databases searched were PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, Embase, Scopus, Hinari, and others for grey literature. Studies of SRMA on GBV in Africa, regardless of the publication year, were included. The methodological quality of the included studies was examined using the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews-2 tool. Data were extracted using Microsoft Excel and analyzed with STATA 17 software. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic, and publication bias was evaluated using funnel plots and Egger's test. Associations were reported as pooled odds ratios along with their confidence intervals (CIs), with significance set at p < 0.05.
Results: This umbrella review pooled effect estimates from 23 eligible SRMA studies comprising 682,280 participants. The overall lifetime and twelve-month prevalence of GBV among women and girls in Africa were found to be 38.74% (95% CI: 33.49, 43.99) and 36.12% (95% CI: 35.32, 36.91), respectively. Additionally, the pooled prevalence rates of sexual, physical, and psychological violence were 31.80% (95% CI: 26.99, 36.60), 29.42% (95% CI: 23.49, 35.42), and 32.69% (95% CI: 26.47, 38.91), respectively. Both victim-related factors, like residence, level of education, and use of alcohol or khat, and perpetrator-related factors, such as education, alcohol usage, and decision-making capacity, were significantly associated with GBV.
Conclusion and recommendations: The overall prevalence of GBV, including all forms (physical, sexual, and psychological), was high. Besides, both victim- and perpetrator-related factors were significantly associated with GBV. Therefore, available interventions should be implemented to reduce GBV, and multi-level approaches should be adopted to address its associated factors.
