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Full-Text Articles in Demography, Population, and Ecology
Tracing Change In Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Through Social Networks: An Intersectional Analysis Of The Influence Of Gender, Generation, Status, And Structural Inequality, Amadou Moreau, Bettina Shell-Duncan
Tracing Change In Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting Through Social Networks: An Intersectional Analysis Of The Influence Of Gender, Generation, Status, And Structural Inequality, Amadou Moreau, Bettina Shell-Duncan
Reproductive Health
Policies and programs designed to eliminate female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) in Senegal have been implemented over several decades, but the practice has been surprisingly tenacious. Strategies for accelerating abandonment have been informed by theories of change, and social norms theory, in particular, has become a prominent framework for understanding behavior change dynamics. FGM/C is held in place by interdependent normative expectations: what one family chooses to do is linked to expectations of others and reinforced through social sanctions. Hence, a key strategy for promoting behavior change rests on coordinating change in norms and behavior among people who interact with one …
Exploring The Nature And Extent Of Normative Change In Fgm/C In Somaliland, Richard A. Powell, Mohamed Yussuf, Bettina Shell-Duncan, Caroline W. Kabiru
Exploring The Nature And Extent Of Normative Change In Fgm/C In Somaliland, Richard A. Powell, Mohamed Yussuf, Bettina Shell-Duncan, Caroline W. Kabiru
Reproductive Health
More than 200 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM/C across 30 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. While most affected countries have adopted legal frameworks prohibiting FGM/C, these have been varyingly effective in preventing the practice or significantly accelerating its abandonment. The success of programmatic interventions to address FGM/C has also been variable. One possible reason for the limited success of these initiatives is the neglect of the collectively held social norms underpinning the practice’s continuation. This study, conducted in 30 villages in Somaliland, aimed to investigate: 1) if the norms associated with FGM/C are …
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Nigeria, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Nigeria, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren
Reproductive Health
Gendered norms and discriminatory practices often limit women’s decision-making power, which over time can lead to social norms that systematically subordinate women. Aspects of empowerment were explored in a global evaluation of Demographic and Health Survey data that measured how gendered social norms influenced maternal health-seeking behaviors. Analysis specifically explored associations of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) on antenatal care use and facility delivery in 63 low- and middle-income countries. Service utilization is positively associated with increased autonomy and negatively associated with increased acceptability of IPVAW, but variability exists across countries and regions. In …
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Kenya, Charlotte E. Warren, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga
Reproductive Health
Gendered norms and discriminatory practices often limit women’s decision-making power, which over time can lead to social norms that systematically disadvantage women. Aspects of empowerment were explored in a global evaluation of Demographic and Health Survey data that measured how gendered social norms influenced maternal health-seeking behaviors. Analysis specifically explored associations of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) on antenatal care use and facility delivery in 63 low- and middle-income countries. Service utilization is positively associated with increased autonomy and negatively associated with increased acceptability of IPVAW, but variability exists across countries and regions. In …
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Bangladesh, Pooja Sripad, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Bangladesh, Pooja Sripad, Sharif M.I. Hossain, Charity Ndwiga, Charlotte E. Warren
Reproductive Health
Gendered norms and discriminatory practices often limit women’s decision-making power, which over time can lead to social norms that systematically subordinate women. Aspects of empowerment were explored in a global evaluation of Demographic and Health Survey data that measured how gendered social norms influenced maternal health-seeking behaviors. Analysis specifically explored associations of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) on antenatal care (ANC) use and facility delivery in 63 low- and middle-income countries. Service utilization is positively associated with increased autonomy and negatively associated with increased acceptability of IPVAW, but variability exists across countries and regions. …
Meeting Report Of The International Conference On The Great Lakes Region's Regional Training Facility: Working With The Police Sector To Meet The Needs Of Sexual Violence Survivors In The Great Lakes Region, Nathan Byamukama, Chi-Chi Undie, Sharon Asiimwe, George Odwe, Nachela Chelwa, Harriet Birungi, Michael Mbizvo
Meeting Report Of The International Conference On The Great Lakes Region's Regional Training Facility: Working With The Police Sector To Meet The Needs Of Sexual Violence Survivors In The Great Lakes Region, Nathan Byamukama, Chi-Chi Undie, Sharon Asiimwe, George Odwe, Nachela Chelwa, Harriet Birungi, Michael Mbizvo
Reproductive Health
For over a decade, the Population Council and its partners (the Africa Regional SGBV Network) have provided technical assistance and conducted research to strengthen the evidence base of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) programming in Africa’s East, Horn, and Great Lakes regions. Under the Africa Regional SGBV Network, the Council and partners developed and tested an intervention including police response to sexual violence survivors, with police provision of emergency contraception (EC) for survivors and referrals to health facilities. This model has been successfully tested in Zambia and Malawi. Studies reveal that EC provision by trained police to sexual violence survivors …
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Ethiopia, Charlotte E. Warren, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga
Autonomy, Intimate Partner Violence, And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: Findings From Mixed-Methods Analysis In Ethiopia, Charlotte E. Warren, Pooja Sripad, Charity Ndwiga
Reproductive Health
Gendered norms and discriminatory practices often limit women’s decision-making power, which over time can lead to social norms that systematically disadvantage women. Aspects of empowerment were explored in a global evaluation of Demographic and Health Survey data that measured how gendered social norms influenced maternal health-seeking behaviors. Analysis specifically explored associations of women’s autonomy and acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) on antenatal care (ANC) use and facility delivery in 63 low- and middle-income countries. Service utilization is positively associated with increased autonomy and negatively associated with increased acceptability of IPVAW, but variability exists across countries and regions. …
Storytelling And Policy Change In Africa's Great Lakes Region, Chi-Chi Undie, Nathan Byamukama, George Odwe, Nachela Chelwa, Harriet Birungi, Michael Mbizvo
Storytelling And Policy Change In Africa's Great Lakes Region, Chi-Chi Undie, Nathan Byamukama, George Odwe, Nachela Chelwa, Harriet Birungi, Michael Mbizvo
Reproductive Health
In April 2019, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region’s Regional Training Facility (ICGLR-RTF) organized a regional meeting entitled “Sensitization Meeting for Police Chiefs and National Reproductive Health Heads in the Great Lakes Region.” Held in Kigo, Uganda, the meeting brought together chiefs of police and heads of reproductive health departments (Ministries of Health) from nine ICGLR member states, namely: Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia. The meeting was sponsored by the Population Council, Kenya. Sauti/VOICE Program Brief 2 describes the preamble to ICGLR-RTF’s meeting resolutions and …
L’Expérience De Femmes Ayant Subi Une Grossesse Non Désirée Au Sénégal : Une Étude Qualitative, Fatou Mbow, Nafissatou Diop, Awa Diop Dabo, Awa Tounkara Cissé, Seynabou Ba Diakhaté
L’Expérience De Femmes Ayant Subi Une Grossesse Non Désirée Au Sénégal : Une Étude Qualitative, Fatou Mbow, Nafissatou Diop, Awa Diop Dabo, Awa Tounkara Cissé, Seynabou Ba Diakhaté
Reproductive Health
Dans le cadre du projet Strengthening Evidence for Programming on Unintended Pregnancy (STEP UP), et sur financement de DFID, une étude qualitative a été menée dans la région de Dakar, au Sénégal, par le Population Council en partenariat avec la Taskforce pour développer une meilleure compréhension de la vie des femmes ayant subi une grossesse non désirée suite à un viol ou un inceste et apporter leur voix au débat sur la légalisation de l’avortement médicalisé. Actuellement, qu’elles décident de garder la grossesse non désirée ou de s’en débarrasser, dans tous les cas, leur vie en est affectée. En interdisant …
Expanding The Evidence Base On Comprehensive Care For Survivors Of Sexual Violence In Sub-Saharan Africa, Population Council
Expanding The Evidence Base On Comprehensive Care For Survivors Of Sexual Violence In Sub-Saharan Africa, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Expanding the Evidence Base on Comprehensive Care for Survivors of Sexual Violence in sub-Saharan Africa program was a four-year agreement between the Swedish-Norwegian Regional HIV and AIDS Team for Africa, Embassy of Sweden, Lusaka (the S-N Team), and the Population Council. From 2009 to 2013, the program sought to mitigate the impact and incidence of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening the capacities of medical, legal, and justice sectors to care for survivors of such violence. This approach was intended to serve the S-N Team’s larger development objectives of preventing HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa …
A Step-By-Step Guide To Strengthening Sexual Violence Services In Public Health Facilities: Lessons And Tools From Sexual Violence Services In Africa, Jill Keesbury, Jill Thompson
A Step-By-Step Guide To Strengthening Sexual Violence Services In Public Health Facilities: Lessons And Tools From Sexual Violence Services In Africa, Jill Keesbury, Jill Thompson
Reproductive Health
Sexual violence (SV) is a serious health and human rights problem across Africa that disproportionately affects women and girls. Survivors require comprehensive and sensitive care to mitigate the negative health consequences of SV, minimize psychological trauma, and promote long-term reintegration and recovery. Despite high levels of sexual violence and a growing recognition of the need to improve the management of rape and sexual assault, many public health facilities in Africa do not currently have capacity to provide comprehensive, patient-centered SV care to adult and child survivors. Public facilities face numerous challenges including lack of specialized SV training, general understaffing and …
Executive Summary: A Step-By-Step Guide To Strengthening Sexual Violence Services In Public Health Facilities, Jill Keesbury, Jill Thompson
Executive Summary: A Step-By-Step Guide To Strengthening Sexual Violence Services In Public Health Facilities, Jill Keesbury, Jill Thompson
Reproductive Health
This document contains an executive summary of “A step-by-step guide to strengthening sexual violence services in public health facilities: Lessons and tools from sexual violence services in Africa.” Sexual violence (SV) is a serious health and human rights problem across Africa that disproportionately affects women and girls. Survivors require comprehensive and sensitive care to mitigate the negative health consequences of SV, minimize psychological trauma, and promote long-term reintegration and recovery. Despite high levels of sexual violence and a growing recognition of the need to improve the management of rape and sexual assault, many public health facilities in Africa do not …
Kwazulu-Natal Department Of Health Policy And Guidelines For Integrated Ante And Postnatal Care At District Hospital Community Health Centre And Clinic Level, Population Council
Kwazulu-Natal Department Of Health Policy And Guidelines For Integrated Ante And Postnatal Care At District Hospital Community Health Centre And Clinic Level, Population Council
Reproductive Health
A 2006 baseline survey conducted by CARE Kenya indicated that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is widespread throughout Kenya’s North Eastern Province. Other findings revealed that high levels of stigma and gender imbalances are associated with sexual violence and female genital mutilation (FGM) and that a coordinated approach to responding to the service needs of survivors is missing. As noted in this report, there is limited awareness of the legal mechanisms available to survivors. The Population Council’s study in Wajir District ascertained the need for and possible components of an integrated and comprehensive services model that could meet the needs …
An Assessment Of Sexual And Gender Based Violence In Wajir District, North Eastern Kenya, Gladys K. Mwangi, Jaldesa Guyo
An Assessment Of Sexual And Gender Based Violence In Wajir District, North Eastern Kenya, Gladys K. Mwangi, Jaldesa Guyo
Reproductive Health
A 2006 baseline survey conducted by CARE Kenya indicated that sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is widespread throughout Kenya’s North Eastern Province. Other findings revealed that high levels of stigma and gender imbalances are associated with sexual violence and female genital mutilation (FGM) and that a coordinated approach to responding to the service needs of survivors is missing. As noted in this report, there is limited awareness of the legal mechanisms available to survivors. The Population Council’s study in Wajir District ascertained the need for and possible components of an integrated and comprehensive services model that could meet the needs …
Standards Required In Maintaining The Chain Of Evidence In The Context Of Post Rape Care Services: Findings Of A Study Conducted In Kenya, Carol Ajema, Emily Rogena, Hadley Muchela, Buluma Bwire, Nduku Kilonzo
Standards Required In Maintaining The Chain Of Evidence In The Context Of Post Rape Care Services: Findings Of A Study Conducted In Kenya, Carol Ajema, Emily Rogena, Hadley Muchela, Buluma Bwire, Nduku Kilonzo
Reproductive Health
Sexual violence (SV) is a serious societal problem that creates significant challenges to local communities in their attempt to create an overall plan for meeting the medical, emotional, physical safety, and legal needs of SV survivors. It is important to understand the existing links between the health sector and police as a basis for addressing the complexities surrounding SV. Appropriate management of SV survivors requires a standardized clinical evaluation, an effective interface with law enforcement for the handling of forensic evidence, and coordination of the continuum of care. From the public health perspective, the issues to be addressed revolve around …
Multi-Sectoral Approaches To Preventing Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence: A Collective Force To Stop The Violence, Population Council
Multi-Sectoral Approaches To Preventing Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence: A Collective Force To Stop The Violence, Population Council
Reproductive Health
The Multi-Sectoral Approaches to Preventing Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Symposium took place May 6–7, 2009, in Gauteng, South Africa. The symposium aimed to: increase awareness of sexual assault and domestic violence and its relationship to HIV and AIDS among decision-makers; promote evidence-based programming for practitioners; advocate for increased preventative measures and service delivery around sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in the public and private sectors; facilitate networking, strengthen and develop partnerships, and create opportunities for ongoing collaboration between key stakeholders; and inspire a coordinated plan of action for prevention that supports the government’s 365-day plan. South Africa has some …
Improving The Health Care Response To Gender-Based Violence: Phase Ii, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Mai Quoc Tung
Improving The Health Care Response To Gender-Based Violence: Phase Ii, Meiwita P. Budiharsana, Mai Quoc Tung
Reproductive Health
In 2009, the Population Council/Vietnam in collaboration with the Hanoi Health Service carried out an evaluation survey among Duc Giang Hospital staff to assess the extent to which awareness and perceptions of gender-based violence (GBV) had changed since the project commenced in 2005. The survey also assessed the extent to which the response of the hospital and Women’s Center for Counseling and Health had been strengthened, and made recommendations on changes to improve the situation. Overall, this project has been effective in raising awareness and willingness to integrate GBV screening into health services. The project conducted its training program at …
The Making Of The Kenya Sexual Offenses Act, 2006: Behind The Scenes, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Njoki Ndung'u, Nancy Baraza, Harriet Birungi
The Making Of The Kenya Sexual Offenses Act, 2006: Behind The Scenes, Washington Onyango-Ouma, Njoki Ndung'u, Nancy Baraza, Harriet Birungi
Reproductive Health
Kenya’s enactment of the Sexual Offenses Bill in 2006 was a milestone in dealing with sexual offenses and gender-based violence. The bill is Kenya’s first legal recognition of the many sex crimes that occur in the country. Among other things, the law criminalizes deliberate transmission of HIV/AIDS and provides rape victims with free medical care and counseling in public institutions. Convicted rapists will now face a minimum sentence of ten years, while a maximum penalty will be life imprisonment. A retrospective study was conducted to document the process leading to the enactment of the law. The objective was to document …
Sexual Violence: Setting The Research Agenda For Kenya, Catherine Maternowska, Jill Keesbury, Nduku Kilonzo
Sexual Violence: Setting The Research Agenda For Kenya, Catherine Maternowska, Jill Keesbury, Nduku Kilonzo
Reproductive Health
This research agenda is the result of a stakeholders’ meeting held in Nairobi on June 11–12, 2008, that identified, developed, and prioritized areas for research on sexual violence in Kenya. The meeting was convened by the Population Council, Liverpool VCT, Care & Treatment, and the International Centre of Reproductive Health, Kenya. Kenya’s research agenda is premised on the need to generate the evidence required to impact policy formulation and services strengthening. Knowledge gaps that form the basis of key research areas identified include the need to: 1) Understand the nature, contexts, and prevalence of sexual violence; 2) Document and evaluate …
Africa Regional Sexual And Gender-Based Violence Network Consultation: Technical Exchange And Planning Meeting, Population Council
Africa Regional Sexual And Gender-Based Violence Network Consultation: Technical Exchange And Planning Meeting, Population Council
Reproductive Health
In March 2008, the Population Council brought together members of the Africa Regional Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Network for a South-South technical exchange meeting. The objectives were to identify best practices from existing programs, provide an evidence base for new programming, and develop mechanisms for South-South technical assistance. As detailed in this report, discussions covered the medical, legal, and psychosocial issues associated with SGBV prevention and response activities. Participants identified the following: Protocols and guidance documents are essential for ensuring comprehensive, quality response at all levels. Enabling access and utilization of the full range of medical services remains …
South Africa: Integrated Approach Improves Quality Of Post-Rape Care, Population Council
South Africa: Integrated Approach Improves Quality Of Post-Rape Care, Population Council
Reproductive Health
In South Africa, an integrated model for post-rape care by nurses in a rural district hospital, which included a designated room for medical management and guidelines for providing reproductive health and HIV services, improved the quality of care provided. However, nurses remained reluctant to collect forensic evidence that could be used for prosecuting perpetrators. South Africa has developed a strong policy framework outlining medical management of rape survivors, which includes provision of HIV testing and post-exposure prophylaxis and emergency contraception, ideally within 72 hours. However, implementation has been hampered by numerous obstacles, both in health care infrastructure and policy, and …