Exploring the Health Effects of Gender Based Violence on Female Survivors: A Case of Chipata City in Zambia

Abstract

Social and cultural beliefs in different communities of Zambia have continued to perpetrate Gender Based Violence and this has affected victims in many ways. The impact of GBV has led to an increase in morbidity and mortality rates globally after its physical, mental, emotional and social inflictions on the victims. This has placed a cost on the quality of life as lifestyle changes occur. Therefore, the aim of this study was to establish the socio-cultural factors that are associated with Gender Based Violence in Chipata City. This study adopted an explorative mixed method design. The study sequentially collected quantitative and qualitative data. Responses were gotten from 381 respondents. The sample was deduced from 1,922 female victims were registered from 2014 to 2016 at the GBV One Stop Centre. The discussions about the study revealed that and weak community support, poor relationships, alcohol and poverty, are among the major contributing factors to GBV. The major health effects could be either physical implications like a loss of an organ after assault, unwanted pregnancies and STI infections. Most of these findings were attributed to the spouses/partners. Sensitization, in this case, could be the answer to curb the incidences of GBV. In conclusion, the study explored the experiences female survivors in Chipata city have had following Gender Based Violence. Socio-cultural and economic factors have had a major impact in enhancing GBV and victims mentioned that poverty, substance abuse and inactive law enforcement directly fueled the acts of violence. The key recommendation is massive sensitization about GBV and reinforcing laws to strengthen the curbing of violence.