ABSTRACT
Introduction: Sexual violence, which is becoming increasingly recurrent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a public health problem in Lubumbashi.Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of sexual violence, the circumstances of occurrence and risk environments.Method: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study based on a document review of 116 female victims between the ages of 2 to 34 years attending the Kampemba General Hospital in Lubumbashi in 2013, generally for forensic examination.Results: The prevalence of sexual violence in Lubumbashi was 127 per 100,000 in the absence of any armed conflict. The frequency of sexual violence in Kampemba General Hospital was 3.35%. Victims of sexual violence were mostly young people (94%) aged 14 to 17 years (over 60% of cases), while the perpetrators of sexual violence were predominantly male (100%), civilians (98%) and adults (86.2%). 24% of pregnancies were observed among the victims and nearly 72% of cases of mental distress. Only 19.18% of cases of sexual violence were reported to the police.Conclusion: Gender-based sexual violence, which constitutes a denial of human rights and health remains a real public health problem in the DRC in general and especially in Lubumbashi.
Subject(s)
Sex Offenses/statistics & numerical data , Adolescent , Adult , Child , Child, Preschool , Cross-Sectional Studies , Democratic Republic of the Congo , Female , Humans , Retrospective Studies , Urban Population , Young AdultABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: We conducted a retrospective non-comparative cross-sectional study in Lubumbashi on factors associated with road accidents. OBJECTIVE: To contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality related to road accidents based on a better understanding of this phenomenon in the city of Lubumbashi, to assess the frequency and the growth of road accidents in the city of Lubumbashi and to determine the factors predisposing to these accidents. METHODS: This non-controlled retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study covered the period from 1st January to 31st December 2008, and included all cases of vehicles registered by the police department after an accident. RESULTS: A total of 1,915 road traffic were reported, mostly caused by public transport vehicles (59%) driven by young adult males (89% of cases) with a mean age of 28 years. The main cause was speeding combined with other factors (34% of cases). The majority of these accidents occurred in the city of Lubumbashi (52.9% of cases) between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. (74% of cases). Transit vehicles were exposed to a greater risk of road accidents (59%). CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need for accurate information on the rules of the road for drivers and road users to reduce the mortality and morbidity due to road accidents.
