Article Category:
Short Report

Violence Related to Daily Water and Sanitation Needs in South Africa

Ruvani T. Jayaweera Ibis Reproductive Health, Oakland, California;

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Dana E. Goin University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California;

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Rhian Twine University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;

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Torsten B. Neilands University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California;

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Ryan G. Wagner University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;

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Sheri A. Lippman University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California;
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;

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Kathleen Kahn University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;

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Audrey Pettifor University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa;
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina;

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Jennifer Ahern University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California

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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.22-0087
Volume/Issue:
Volume 109: Issue 1
Page(s):
170–173
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ABSTRACT.

There is a critical lack of research on violence experienced by women when meeting their daily water and sanitation needs. This short report describes the cumulative lifetime incidence of exposure to violence when using the toilet or collecting water (water, sanitation, and hygiene [WASH]-related violence) and identifies associated health and behavioral risks. Data from 1,870 participants collected in 2013–2015 from a longitudinal cohort of young women in rural South Africa were included in this analysis. We found that exposure to WASH-related violence was high: 25.9% experienced violence when collecting water or when using the toilet. Those who experienced violence were more likely to report pregnancy, an older partner, unprotected sex, experience of intimate partner violence, engaging in transactional sex, depressive symptoms, and anxiety. Future research should investigate the location and type of violence experienced and examine how WASH-related violence is related to health outcomes to identify gender-centered WASH interventions that reduce violence exposure.

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Author Notes

Address correspondence to Ruvani T. Jayaweera, Ibis Reproductive Health, 1736 Franklin St., Ste. 600, Oakland, CA 94612. E-mail: rjayaweera@ibisreproductivehealth.org

Financial support: This study was funded by the NIH (Grant R01 MH110186) and by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (Awards UM1 AI068619 [HIV Prevention Trials Network Leadership and Operations Center], UM1AI068617 [HIV Prevention Trials Network Statistical and Data Management Center], and UM1AI068613 [HIV Prevention Trials Network Laboratory Center]). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH. This work was also supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (Grant R01 MH087118) and the Carolina Population Center (Grant P2C HD050924). Additional support was provided by the Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit and Agincourt Health and Socio-Demographic Surveillance System, a node of the South African Population Research Infrastructure Network, have been supported by the National Department of Science and Innovation, the University of the Witwatersrand, the Medical Research Council (MRC), South Africa, and the Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom (Grants 058893/Z/99/A, 069683/Z/02/Z, 085477/Z/08/Z, and 085477/B/08/Z).

Authors’ addresses: Ruvani T. Jayaweera, Ibis Reproductive Health, Oakland, CA, E-mail: rjayaweera@ibisreproductivehealth.org. Dana E. Goin, Torsten B. Neilands, and Sheri A. Lippman, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, E-mails: dana.goin@ucsf.edu, torsten.neilands@ucsf.edu, and sheri.lippman@ucsf.edu. Rhian Twine, Ryan G. Wagner, and Kathleen Kahn, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, E-mails: rhian.twine@wits.ac.za, ryan.wagner@wits.ac.za, and kathleen.kahn@wits.ac.za. Audrey Pettifor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, E-mail: apettif@email.unc.edu. Jennifer Ahern, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, E-mail: jahern@berkeley.edu.

Copyright:
© American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 2023
Received:
28 Jan 2022
|
Accepted:
10 Feb 2023
|
Published Online:
30 May 2023
Cover The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
Print ISSN:
0002-9637
Online ISSN:
1476-1645
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