Magnitude of child sexual abuse and its associated factors among high school female students in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Plain language summary Child sexual abuse (CSA) refers to the involvement of a child (< 18 years) in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violates the laws or social taboos of society.” Child sexual abuse is a common and serious public health problem affecting millions of people each year worldwide but the most neglected and least documented form of violence in Ethiopia among school girls. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of child sexual abuse and its associated factors among female high school students in the Dire Dawa administration, Eastern Ethiopia. In this study, an institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among female high school students in the Dire Dawa administration between March 1 and 23/2021. Stratified and multistage sampling techniques were employed to include 794 participants from selected high schools. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used and the data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 24. The findings of this study showed that the proportion of female students who reported at least one form of sexual abuse was 384 (48.9%) and approximately 19% of female students reported rape from the total respondents. Students who live alone 4.3 times, those who live with their friends five times, and those who live with single parents three times more likely to experience lifetime sexual abuse than those living with both parents. The likelihood of experiencing lifetime sexual abuse among students of rural residence was 3.2 times higher than their urban counterparts. Students who didn’t drink alcohol were 70% more protective than those who drank alcohol. In conclusion: this study demonstrated that the magnitude of child sexual abuse among female students in the Dire Dawa administration is high. Lack of discussion about sexual issues with parents, living without both parents, drinking alcohol, and being a rural residence had a significant association with child sexual abuse. Unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and STIs were the most commonly reported reproductive health consequences of sexual abuse. Therefore, policymakers should introduce and strengthen comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education both in school and out of school, in addition to formal education to reduce the magnitude of the problem. Parents should discuss all sexual and reproductive health issues with their children to reduce the magnitude and consequences of child sexual abuse.

Keywords

• Child
• Sexual abuse
• High school
• Female students
• Dire Dawa Administration