The DHS Program

Information Communication Technologies and Intimate Partner Violence among Women in sub-Saharan Africa Countries (English) 

Document Type

Working Papers

Publication Topic(s)

Adult Health Issues, Gender

Country(s)

Angola, Mali, Uganda, Zambia

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Muchemwa, Marifa, Million Phiri, and Oluwatoyin Aladejebi. 2022. Information Communication Technologies and Intimate Partner Violence among Women in sub-Saharan Africa Countries. DHS Working Papers No. 186. Rockville, Maryland, USA: ICF

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Publication Date

September 2022

Publication ID

WP186

Abstract:

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is increasing in sub-Saharan Africa with women the usual victims. Efforts to address IPV include interventions with information communication technologies (ICT) that are being used to raise awareness and promote the empowerment of women. There is the need to examine the relationship between ICT ownership and IPV among women in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a cross-sectional study of four countries in sub-Saharan Africa using DHS data. Ownership of ICT was the main independent variable that was measured by ownership of a radio, television, mobile phones, and access to the internet. The dependent variable was IPV, which was measured in two forms—physical and sexual violence. A multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression was used to examine the association between ownership of ICT devices and intimate partner violence among women. In Zambia and Mali, women who own ICT devices were significantly less likely to experience sexual violence than those who did not own ICT devices. Access to ICT should be promoted among women because ICT can raise awareness and offer women a platform for receiving social support and advice about coping with intimate partner violence. More research is needed.