Conference abstract
More than just a beating: the burden of injuries due to gender based violence in Uganda - a 5 year analysis
Pan African Medical Journal - Conference Proceedings. 2017:3(64).25
Oct 2017.
doi: 10.11604/pamj-cp.2017.3.64.182
Archived on: 25 Oct 2017
Contact the corresponding author
Keywords: Gender-based violence (GBV), health management information system (HMIS), injuries
Oral presentation
More than just a beating: the burden of injuries due to gender based violence in Uganda - a 5 year analysis
Rebecca Nuwematsiko1,&, Frederick Oporia1, Doreen Tuhebwe1, Juliet Nabirye1, Swaibu Zziwa1, Micheal Ediau1, Lyn Atuyambe1, Olive Kobusingye1
1Makerere University, School of Public health, Kampala, Uganda
&Corresponding author
Rebecca Nuwematsiko, Makerere University, School of Public health, Kampala, Uganda
Introduction: globally, injuries are a growing public health problem; with about 5 million deaths annually. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is one of the neglected causes of these injuries that is silently affecting lives of many women and men. In Uganda, 56% of women and 55% of men aged between 15 and 49 years’ experience physical violence at some point in life. GBV has fatal and non-fatal consequences that greatly affect one’s health and social wellbeing.
Methods: we analyzed data from 2011 to 2015 from the Health Management Information System (HMIS) regarding Gender-Based Violence in Uganda. The HMIS is a national system for routine collection and reporting of data on key health indicators. Univariate analysis was done according to regions in Uganda as per the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2011.
Results: of the patients with injuries, 4.97% (n = 178,489/ 3,593,312) presented with injuries due to GBV. The most at risk were females and patients aged 5 years and above were the most victims at 59.8% and 93.4% respectively. Patients from the Northern region presented with the highest number of injuries (20.6%). There was an upward trend of injuries from 2011 up to a peak in 2013.
Conclusion: close to 5% of the injuries in Uganda are due to GBV and although presenting more in females, it affects people of all ages. The government should strengthen existing programs to eliminate the root causes of GBV through inter-sectoral collaboration. Reporting of injuries and seeking medical care should be prioritized by the victims with a supportive environment by the government.
