Report on Intimate Partner Violence in Mukono and Luwero Districts and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

This report details the findings of a household survey (N=1680) on the prevalence and characteristics of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in the Mukono and Luwero districts. The data underscores significant challenges to achieving several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

Socio-Demographic Profile of Respondents

A total of 1680 individuals participated in the survey. The demographic data provides context for the subsequent findings on violence and its socio-economic drivers, which are critical for addressing SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

• Total Respondents: 1680
• Gender: 76.4% female, 23.6% male.
• Partnership Status: 95.4% had or have ever had an intimate partner. 69.8% were married or cohabiting.
• Median Age: 37 years for females, 45 years for males.
• Primary Occupation: 41% were subsistence farmers, a key demographic for understanding progress on SDG 1 and SDG 8.
• Education Level: 45.4% of respondents and 52.2% of their spouses had education beyond the primary level. This is a crucial factor influencing outcomes related to SDG 4 (Quality Education).

Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Setbacks for SDG 5

The high prevalence of IPV, particularly against women, directly contravenes the objectives of SDG 5 (Gender Equality), specifically Target 5.2, which aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.

Overall IPV Statistics

• Lifetime Prevalence: 55.4% of all respondents.
  • This was significantly higher among women (57.9%) compared to men (47.4%), highlighting a critical gender disparity.
• Current Prevalence (Past 12 months): 31.0%.
  • Women (32.2%) reported a higher prevalence than men (27.3%).
• Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown: 73.0% of those experiencing current IPV reported it worsened during the lockdown, demonstrating how crises can reverse progress on SDG 5 and SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Factors Influencing IPV and Linkages to SDGs

Multivariable analysis identified key socio-economic factors that correlate with IPV, linking the issue to broader development goals.

1. Education (SDG 4): Participants with at least an advanced education were significantly less likely to report an increase in IPV (aPR 0.58). This shows that achieving SDG 4 is a protective factor against violence.
2. Employment (SDG 8): Compared to the unemployed, those in subsistence farming (aPR 0.84) and the self-employed (aPR 0.86) reported a lower increase in IPV, indicating that economic activity can be a mitigating factor.
3. Marital Status: Individuals who were separated, divorced, or widowed were more likely to report an increase in violence (aPR 1.51) compared to those never married, pointing to vulnerabilities among specific social groups.

Analysis of IPV Forms and their Detriment to Sustainable Development

The various forms of IPV documented in the study undermine health, economic stability, and human rights, impeding progress across multiple SDGs.

Emotional Violence: Impact on SDG 3 & SDG 5

Emotional violence was the most common form of IPV, severely affecting the mental and psychological well-being of individuals, a core component of SDG 3.

• Lifetime Prevalence: 39.9% (41.7% of women vs. 34.5% of men).
• Most Common Actions: Insults (35.1%), humiliation (18.0%), and inducing fear (16.0%).
• Worsening during COVID-19: 66.7% of those affected reported an increase during the lockdown.

Socio-Economic Violence: Undermining SDG 1, SDG 5, & SDG 8

This form of violence directly obstructs economic empowerment and autonomy, particularly for women, hindering progress on poverty reduction (SDG 1), gender equality (SDG 5), and decent work (SDG 8).

• Lifetime Prevalence: 31.4% (33.3% of women vs. 25.8% of men).
• Key Manifestations:
  • Denial of access to support services (health, education): 15.0%, significantly higher among women.
  • Prohibition from employment: 12.3%, significantly higher among women.
  • Denial of property rights: 10.4%, significantly higher among women.
• Worsening during COVID-19: 81.6% of those affected reported an increase during the lockdown.

Physical Violence: A Direct Violation of SDG 3 & SDG 16

Physical violence is a fundamental breach of human security and health, directly opposing SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 16’s goal to reduce all forms of violence.

• Lifetime Prevalence: 18.7% (22.3% of women vs. 7.2% of men).
• Current Prevalence (Past 12 months): 7.9%, with women (9.2%) experiencing it at a significantly higher rate than men (3.6%).
• Common Acts: Being slapped or thrown at (15.3%), pushed or shoved (experienced by 10.6% of women vs. 4.1% of men), and hit with a fist (9.1% of women vs. 2.3% of men).
• Worsening during COVID-19: 63.5% of victims reported an increase during the lockdown.

Sexual Violence: A Barrier to SDG 3 & SDG 5

Sexual violence violates bodily autonomy and undermines sexual and reproductive health rights, posing a major obstacle to both SDG 3 and SDG 5.

• Lifetime Prevalence: 18.4% (21.0% of women vs. 10.3% of men).
• Current Prevalence (Past 12 months): 9.2%, with a marginally significant difference between women (10.0%) and men (6.4%).
• Key Findings:
  • Twice as many women (14.2%) as men (5.4%) were physically forced to have sexual intercourse.
  • For those forced into intercourse, more women reported it worsened during lockdowns (79.7% vs. 35.7%).
• Worsening during COVID-19: 66.7% of victims reported an increase during the lockdown.

Barriers to Justice and Support: Challenges for SDG 16

The study reveals significant gaps in access to justice and support for victims, highlighting a failure to build the effective and inclusive institutions called for in SDG 16.

Care-Seeking Behaviors

• Only 41.9% of victims sought help in the past 12 months.
• Primary Source of Help: Family members or friends (57.8% of women, 60% of men).
• Formal Institutions: Only 19.3% of women and 17.5% of men sought help from the police, indicating low trust or accessibility of formal justice systems.

Reasons for Not Seeking Help

The reasons for not reporting violence reveal deep-seated social norms that challenge the rule of law and accountability.

1. Normalization of Violence: 40.8% considered the violence to be normal or not serious.
2. Fear of Reprisal: 19.7% of women did not seek help for fear of more violence.
3. Shame and Embarrassment: Approximately 15% of both men and women felt embarrassed or ashamed.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• The article discusses various forms of violence (physical, sexual, emotional) which have direct negative impacts on the physical and mental health of the victims. Furthermore, it explicitly mentions the denial of access to health services.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• The article connects the level of education to the likelihood of experiencing violence, noting that a higher level of education was associated with a lower prevalence of IPV. It also identifies the denial of access to education as a form of socio-economic violence.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• This is the most central SDG in the article. The entire study focuses on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), with data consistently disaggregated by gender, showing that women are disproportionately affected. It covers violence against women, gender-based discrimination in property rights, and barriers to economic and social participation.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• The article links employment status (subsistence farming, self-employed, unemployed) to the experience of violence. It also highlights “prohibiting employment” and “taking earnings against their will” as forms of socio-economic violence, which are direct barriers to decent work and economic empowerment.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• The article’s core subject is the prevalence of violence, which directly relates to the goal of reducing all forms of violence. Additionally, the section on “Care-seeking among the victims” explores access to justice, detailing how few victims report to formal institutions like the police, highlighting weaknesses in justice systems.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. This is relevant as the article states that 15.0% of respondents “were denied access to support services such as education and health assistance/services like contraceptives,” with women being more affected.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Target 4.5: By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. The article connects education levels to violence and notes that denial of access to education is used as a form of control, particularly against women.

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The finding that “more women than men (12.2% vs. 4.9%, p
• Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. The article is a detailed study of this target, providing prevalence rates for physical, sexual, emotional, and socio-economic intimate partner violence.
• Target 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws. The article’s findings on “denial of property rights” and partners “taking their earnings against their will” directly relate to this target.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men… and equal pay for work of equal value. The article points to barriers to this target by reporting that “more women than men (14.9% vs. 4.1%, p

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article’s primary focus is measuring the prevalence of different forms of violence, such as the “overall lifetime prevalence of intimate partner violence was 55.4%”.
• Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. The study reveals a significant gap in access to justice, noting that “only 41.9% of victims had sought help” and of those, “only 17.5% of men and 19.3% of women sought help from the police.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Indicators for SDG 5 (Gender Equality) & SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

• Indicator 5.2.1 / 16.1.3: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls (and men) subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months.
  • The article provides precise data for this: “The overall current prevalence of IPV (measures as IPV in the past 12 months) was 31% (32.2% among women vs. 27.3% among men).” It further breaks this down by type: emotional violence (21.2%), socio-economic violence (15.9%), physical violence (7.9%), and sexual violence (9.2%).
• Indicator 5.a.1: Share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land.
  • While not a direct measure of ownership, the article provides a proxy indicator of barriers to ownership: “more women than men (12.2% vs. 4.9%) were denied property rights because of their gender.”
• Indicator 16.3.3: Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past 12 months and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism.
  • The article provides clear data points: “only 41.9% of victims had sought help in the 12 months preceding the survey.” It also specifies the type of mechanism used: family/friends (informal), local leaders (informal), and police (formal), with only “19.3% of women” seeking help from the police.

Indicators for other SDGs

• For SDG 3 (Health): A potential indicator is the “Proportion of the population denied access to essential health services.” The article states that 15.0% were denied access to services like health assistance and contraceptives.
• For SDG 4 (Education): A relevant indicator could be the “Proportion of the population denied access to education due to socio-economic factors or violence.” The article notes this is a form of violence and that “Denial of access to support services was significantly higher among women than men (16.5% vs. 10.3%).”
• For SDG 8 (Decent Work): An implied indicator is the “Proportion of the population prohibited from seeking employment by an intimate partner.” The article quantifies this: “more women than men (14.9% vs. 4.1%) were prohibited from employment.”

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com