Intimate partner violence among male refugees in Kyaka II Refugee Settlement Kyegegwa District: Prevalence, associated factors and help-seeking behaviors

Abstract

Background: Globally, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) among male refugees is still a great but insidious problem. The barriers among men to report IPV is probably why they are thought to be less susceptible to IPV hence making all policies biased towards women. Refugee communities by nature of their set up could be predisposed to intimate partner violence. This study determined the prevalence, associated factors and help seeking behaviors among male IPV survivors in Kyaka II refugee settlement in Kyegegwa District. Methods: This was a cross sectional study design employing sequential explanatory mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative methods). A sample of 407 male refugees were studied, nine In-depth Interviews with male refugees who had experienced IPV and eight Key Informant interviews with the implementing partners and local leaders were conducted. Quantitative data was analysed at three levels; Univariate, Bivariate and Multivariate levels using STATA 14 software whereas qualitative data were analysed thematically using Atlas Ti.7. Results: The prevalence of intimate partner violence among male refugees in Kyaka II refugee settlement was found at 69.3%. The factors that significantly influenced the prevalence of IPV among male refugees were age of the partner at (APR=1.36; 95%CI: 1.11- 1.66, number of intimate partners (APR=1.18; 95%CI: 1.01-1.38), duration of relationship 5- 9 years (APR=0.78; 95%CI: 0.67-0.91) and 10 years and above (APR=0.76; 95%CI: 0.58- 0.98), age at the first intimate relationship (APR=1.24; 95%CI: 1.08-1.42), ownership of land (APR=0.85; 95%CI: 0.67-0.91), partners’ alcohol intake (APR=1.26; 95%CI: 1.11-1.43) and partner witnessing their parents fighting during childhood (APR=1.41; 95%CI: 1.21-1.66). Survivors sought help from multiple sources like; humanitarian structures, peers and leaders in the community. Some kept silent after seeking help and were not helped, some did not seek help at all whereas others did not know what to do. Conclusion and recommendation: The results showed that the prevalence of intimate partner violence among male refugees in Kyaka II refugee settlement was high, which could be due to the vulnerability of men caused by women being more empowered. This study therefore, recommends inclusion of male refugees in IPV interventions to help reduce occurrence of IPV among male refugees in Kyaka II refugee settlement.