Sexual violence is a significant and pervasive public health concern, yet scarcely reported to and investigated by appropriate authorities, especially in sub-Saharan Africa [1, 2]. It has several devastating mental, physical, social and somatic effects such as poor relationships with peers and increased psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, self harm, poor academic performance, and physical disability [3–6]. Other adverse consequences of sexual violence include an increased likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behaviours and alcohol abuse as well as increased risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS[7–9].
The majority of cases of sexual violence takes place before age 24, and the first year of study is understood to be the most vulnerable year for sexual violence occurrence [4, 10], thus, making college campuses a high-risk environment and a significant and strategic place for interventions aimed at combating sexual violence [11, 12]. Women are particularly at a higher risk, and at least one in five women experience sexual violence or assault during their college years [1, 13]. Various individual-level factors such as multiple sexual partners[14], alcohol or substance abuse [4], prior history of victimisation [4, 15], and socio-economic status [16, 17] further contribute to the increasing burden of sexual violence. Also, institutional-level factors such as lack of effective policies and support for victims [13] foster the growing burden of sexual violence. Likewise, some traditions, such as the patriarchal practices, which portrays women as subordinates, also promote sexual violence and predispose women to higher risk [18, 19].
Although there seems to be an increasing sensitisation to this pressing problem across various countries, there is still a low rate of reporting. The weak justice system, shame, fear of not being believed, and social norms such as the "rape myth" are some of the factors that hinder proper reporting of incidences by victims [20, 21]. Choo and Dunne[22] also implicated a low level of awareness of the various forms of sexual violence activities, especially the non-penetrative acts as another factor contributing to the low reportage of the incidence among the victims. Worryingly, the burden of sexual violence and the associated impacts are not well understood due to poor documentation and under-reporting and this, in turn, affects the development of effective measures and policies for combating the challenge [23, 24]. Unless the silence around sexual violence incidence is broken, the burden might linger for long [25].
South Africa is bedevilled with an exceedingly high rate of sexual violence [26]. The ineffective justicial structures in the country that have failed to deliver justice to many victims of sexual violence, which has, to some extent, worsen the problem [27], resulting in the low level of reporting [28]. Victims are often scared of the corrupt justice system and the possibility of re-traumatisation [28]. Naidoo and Moffat [28] further reiterated that only one out of nine cases of sexual violence gets reported, and there is a resultant promotion of a "rape culture," which leads to a form of acceptance of this odious act. Even though many cases of rape and brutal murder of young girls have received large media coverage, the recent brutal rape and killing of a young university girl in Cape Town shook the conscience of the nation, with the president personally attending her funeral. In response to this incidence, the South African government has organised a ministerial task committee for creating a support system for victims and ensuring justice is established. We are, however, unsure of how far-reaching this effort would be.
With regard to sexual violence across South African academic institutions, there seems to be a lack of adequate campus policies as well as a lack of adequate support systems for the victims [29]. Academic institutions across the country are in the process of enacting and implementing policies centred around awareness creation on sexual violence, ensuring justice for victims, providing support for victims, and ultimately reducing the burden of sexual violence [25], majority of which lacks relevant framework and are poorly implemented [30]. These efforts are better implemented in the presence of adequate data and the identification of contributing or associated factors. Reliable epidemiologic data is required for the formulation of evidence-based and effective policies to combat the menace at both the institution and the population level[7, 31]. This study therefore aimed at determining the prevalence and associated factors of sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in one of the economically-disadvantaged universities in South Africa. The findings of the study could help ascertain the magnitude of the burden, which in turn could inform better policy formulation and implementation of intervention strategies.