Prevalence and correlates of experience of intimate partner violence among men and women in Eastern DRC

The prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the Democratic Republic of Congo is among the highest in the world. The data analyzed in this paper are derived from a 2012 survey in two provinces in Eastern DRC: Nord Kivu and Sud Kivu. First, we assessed the prevalence of the various forms of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual and emotional) for men and women. Subsequently, we used logistic regression to identify the factors associated with recent experience of IPV for each sex. The data showed that the various forms of IPV were common among men and women in the study provinces. More than one quarter of men and 40% of women have reportedly ever experienced physical IPV while 15.7% of men and 25.1% of women have ever experienced sexual form of IPV. Moreover, the various forms of IPV were strongly correlated, such that many men and women had been exposed to multiple forms of IPV in their lifetime. The factors associated with an experience of IPV differ depending on the type of IPV and by sex. The data suggest that addressing IPV in DRC will require a comprehensive approach. Programs focusing on improving partner communication, reducing alcohol abuse and strengthening community structures for IPV reduction and those that specifically target people with low education should be part of this comprehensive approach.