Consequences of conflict-related sexual violence on survivors
Citation: Rubini E, Valente M, Trentin M, et al. Negative consequences of conflict-related sexual violence on survivors: a systematic review of qualitative evidence. International Journal for Equity in Health. 2023;22:227.
Language: Abstract and full text available in EN.
Free to view: Yes.
Funding sources: The authors reported that they had no external funding for this review.
What is this? In this systematic review, the authors searched for peer-reviewed studies on the adverse consequences of conflict-related sexual violence on adult survivors aged 18 years or older. They searched in January 2023 for qualitative articles published after 2013. They did not restrict their searches by setting or language. The authors included 23 articles from Democratic Republic of Congo (5), Uganda (4), Bangladesh (2), Ethiopia (2), Israel (2), Sweden (2), Afghanistan (1), Colombia (1), Congo (1), Morocco (1), United Kingdom (1), and one multi-national study from Bangladesh, Italy, and Kenya.
What was found: The experiences of cisgender women, cisgender men, and transgender and gender-diverse survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), were presented in gender-inclusive and disaggregated forms. The authors found that survivors had unfavourable physical health, mental health, and social consequences after CRSV. Adverse outcomes included pregnancy, symptoms attributable to post-traumatic stress disorder, and stigma. Many studies reported barriers to care.
Implications: The authors of the review stated that their findings highlighted the negative effects of CRSV on survivors and its impact on their sexual and reproductive health. They recommended sexuality education and translation of health policies into concrete action.
Other considerations: The authors of the review discussed their findings in the context of place of residence, race, ethnicity, culture, language, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, social capital, and disability.
This summary was prepared by Elena Rubini, checked by Grace Meng, and finalized by William Summerskill.