Sexual Violence Trends before and after Rollout of COVID-19 Mitigation Measures, Kenya.
Emerg Infect Dis
; 28(13): S270-S276, 2022 12.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2162902
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 mitigation measures such as curfews, lockdowns, and movement restrictions are effective in reducing the transmission of SARS-CoV-2; however, these measures can enable sexual violence. We used data from the Kenya Health Information System and different time-series approaches to model the unintended consequences of COVID-19 mitigation measures on sexual violence trends in Kenya. We found a model-dependent 73%-122% increase in reported sexual violence cases, mostly among persons 10-17 years of age, translating to 35,688 excess sexual violence cases above what would have been expected in the absence of COVID-19-related restrictions. In addition, during lockdown, the percentage of reported rape survivors receiving recommended HIV PEP decreased from 61% to 51% and STI treatment from 72% to 61%. Sexual violence mitigation measures might include establishing comprehensive national sexual violence surveillance systems, enhancing prevention efforts during school closures, and maintaining access to essential comprehensive services for all ages and sexes.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Sex Offenses
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
Emerg Infect Dis
Journal subject:
Communicable Diseases
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
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