Perceptions and Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
BACKGROUND
Men and women's perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV) within crisis-affected populations are not well understood. This mixed-methods study examined the frequency of IPV against women in urban Cote d'Ivoire, and qualitatively explored how men and women perceive the impact of various forms of IPV on health, everyday activities, and feelings of shame.


METHODS
A survey was administered to Ivorian women (N = 80) to measure the frequency of IPV, and ten focus group discussions were conducted with women (n = 46) and men (n = 45) to explore perceptions of different forms of IPV, including its impacts on disruptions to health, everyday activities, and experiences of shame.


RESULTS
Half of all surveyed women (53.6%) reported past year exposure to physical, sexual, or emotional IPV. Of the multiple types of violence, emotional IPV was most common (46.4%), followed by sexual IPV (21.7%) and physical IPV (17.4%). Focus group participants identified additional forms of violence including economic IPV and community discrimination. Lack of financial resources and unemployment were common problems among crisis-affected women and were described as an underlying source of IPV. Both women and men reported that shame and stigma play a large role in how women experience the repercussions of IPV, regardless of the form of violence, with public episodes of IPV almost always seen as more detrimental than private episodes of IPV.


CONCLUSIONS
These results underscore the need for increased social support mechanisms for women to reduce the shame, stigma, and isolation associated with their experiences. The creation of safe and supportive spaces for women to talk about and challenge social norms may be an important first step in reducing community shaming and the secrecy that often surrounds IPV. Safe spaces along with broader societal outreach, including challenging men's social positions and creating opportunities for increasing economic resources can, in turn potentially decrease the frequency of IPV and its deleterious impacts on a woman's well-being.
School of Nursing and Health Sciences, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
Sara J
SJ
Shuman
International Rescue Committee, New York, NY, United States of America.
Kathryn L
KL
Falb
School of Social Policy and Practice, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America.
Lauren F
LF
Cardoso
International Rescue Committee, New York, NY, United States of America.
Heather
H
Cole
Innovations for Poverty Action, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.
Denise
D
Kpebo
Department of Global and Community Health, College of Health and Human Services, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States of America.
Jhumka
J
Gupta
D000328:Adult; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D000066511:Intimate Partner Violence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D012752:Shame; D066262:Social Norms / Q000208:ethnology; D012938:Social Perception; D057545:Social Stigma; D012944:Social Support; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population