CALVERTON, Md. -- Domestic violence has an obvious impact on the health and well being of the women being abused, but a new report also highlights important intergenerational effects of such violence: the children of abused women are also more likely to suffer health problems.
MEASURE DHS just released “Profiling Domestic Violence: A Multi-Country
Study,” a comprehensive analysis of domestic violence in nine developing
countries based on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data. The report finds
high rates of domestic violence in all countries studied, with over 40 percent of
women in several countries reporting spousal or intimate partner abuse. The
U.S. Agency for International Development supports MEASURE DHS, which is led
by Calverton, MD-based ORC Macro in partnership with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health/Center for Communication Programs, PATH, Jorge
Scientific Corporation, and Casals and Associates.
The number of ever-married women reporting spousal physical or sexual
abuse was highest in Zambia (48 percent), Colombia (44 percent), and Peru (42 percent) and lowest in Cambodia (18 percent), India (19 percent), and the Dominican Republic (22 percent). About one in three women in Egypt (34 percent), Nicaragua (30 percent) and Haiti (29 percent) reported such abuse. In most countries, the highest rates of violence occur in moderately wealthy households, and not, as often assumed, among poorest households.
"We know women in violent situations often have poor health with some
ending up as homicides and suicides, but this report also documents its impact
on their young children," said Sunita Kishor, PhD, senior gender specialist at
ORC Macro. "The children of abused mothers are more likely to be malnourished
and less likely to be immunized than other children."
According to the report, infant and child mortality rates are also higher
among women who have ever experienced violence when compared with women who
have not. In Cambodia, Egypt, India, Nicaragua, and Zambia, all five of the
infant and child mortality rates (based on the age of the child at death) were
higher for abused women.
"We hope this report can serve as a tool for program planners and
policymakers as we work to end violence against women worldwide," said
Kiersten Johnson, PhD, a report co-author. "This violence has wide-ranging
family and social consequences as demonstrated by our data."
The DHS collects demographic and health data in developing countries by
conducting in-person interviews within households. Long considered the "gold
standard" survey for evaluating key population, nutrition, and health issues,
the DHS has added questions on domestic violence and women's empowerment,
allowing for in-depth analyses of the health and other consequences of gender
relations within households
MEASURE DHS assists institutions in developing countries to obtain and
analyze data needed to plan, monitor, and evaluate population, health, and
nutrition programs. Macro International Inc., an Opinion Research Corporation
company, (ORC Macro) has conducted projects for public and private sector
clients in more than 100 countries. ORC Macro's mission is to deliver high
quality, research-based solutions to complex problems, integrating objective
information with the advisory and implementation tasks needed to improve real
world performance.
For more information or to view the full report, visit
http://www.measuredhs.com .
Source: MEASURE DHS
