Citation

Biluala F, Kayembe HC, Batumbo D, Kapour G, Mumbanza F, Bokabo E, Longo-Mbenza B, Zinga B. Reprod. Health 2023; 20(1): e179.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group - BMC)

DOI

10.1186/s12978-023-01710-z

PMID

38057905

PMCID

PMC10698964

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls and young women are more exposed to sexual violence. A significant proportion of victims of sexual abuse are victims of sexual re-victimization. However, information on the burden of sexual re-victimization among AGYW in contexts other than conflict-affected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is limited. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of sexual re-victimization among AGYW and to identify associated risk factors in the capital, Kinshasa.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective multicenter cohort study in which sexual violence records between 2015 and 2020 were used to extract and analyze victims' sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics and profiles of sexual violence perpetrated. Multivariate logistic regression models were employed to identify factors associated with sexual re-victimization using the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) and p value < 0.05.

RESULTS: We found that 74 (31%) of the 241 AGYW included in this study had experienced sexual re-victimization. Sexual re-victimization was associated with being older (> 19 years), sexually active, and living in a single-parent family, and with perpetrator types, particularly intimate partners and family members.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide tools for developing and implementing targeted prevention and intervention programs to reduce sexual violence in general and sexual re-victimization in particular.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent girls; Associated factors; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Magnitude; Sexual re-victimization; Young women