African Journals Online
The Ethiopian Journal of Health Development
(EJHD)

Official Journal Of The Ethiopian Public Health Association
Volume 16, Number 2, August 2002

Mitike Molla¹, Shabbir Ismail¹, Abera Kumie¹, Fikreab Kebede²

1Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 9086, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; ²Plan International Ethiopia, P.O. Box 12677, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Violence against women is an important public health problem not only because of the physical injury that may result but also because of potentially harmful health behaviors that may be triggered in response to violence. The health consequence on women due to gender-based violence is a serious problem worldwide, which has devoid of women from participating in socio-economic development. The severity of the problem and scarcity of studies in this area prompted the undertaking of this study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the magnitude and consequences of rape, (included attempted rape), to describe life skills of escaping the attempt, to assess the attitudes of male street adolescents towards rape and factors associated with sexual violence among female street adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 654 female street adolescents. Additionally, four focus group discussions (FGD) among male street adolescents were undertaken to assess attitudes of male street adolescents towards rape in Addis Ababa from April-July 2000. The data were analyzed using EPI6 and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences).

Results: The quantitative study revealed that the prevalence of rape among female street adolescents in the last 3 months was 15.6%, attempted rape 20.4% and unwelcome kiss 16.4%. The most popular way of escaping the attempt was yelling. Rape was significantly associated with living alone (OR=8.5, 95% CI=2.0,36.5). Unwanted pregnancy, abortion, STDs, and psychological, problems were reported as consequences of rape. This study has showed that girls in the street are at a high risk of rape, therefore serious attention must be paid in order to control this problem. 

[Ethiop.J.Health Dev. 2002;16(2):119-128]

Solomon  Sorsa¹, Tesfaye Kidanemariam², Lopiso Erosie³

1Awassa College of Teachers Education, P.O. Box 115, Awassa, Ethiopia; ²SNNPR Lobor and Social Affairs Office, Awassa; ³Centers for Health Research and laboratory, Awassa

Background:  The number of street children and women in major towns of Ethiopia is rapidly increasing.  Yet their problems have not been fully studied.

Objective:  To assess health and related problems in street children and.

Methods:  A cross sectional survey was conducted in Awassa town, women southern Ethiopia in December 1999.  Data was collected using a uniform questionnaire.  The respondents were interviewed by trained health workers in purposively selected nine data collection sites for one week.  The data was processed using Epi Info version 6 statistical package computer software.

Results:  A total of 506 street children and women participated in the study.  A considerable proportion (63.0%) of respondents had daily income of less than four birr, all women being included in this category of income, and 15% of them had an income of less than two birr.  Two hundred forty one (47.6%) of the respondents reported that they have had meals as available.  Two hundred seventy eight (58.0%) of the children were homeless.  Two hundred eighty (55.3%) of the street children reported one or more previous health problems.  Malaria-like febrile illnesses (42.6%) followed by respiratory tract illnesses (33.1%) and diarrhoeal diseases (4.5%) were the major health problems reported.  The majority of them attended government health care facilities to the reported health problems.  About half of the children reported that they used one or more of the habit-forming substances (alcoholic drinks, chat and cigarette).  Among street children above 15 years old and women, only 22.8% used family planning and prevention methods for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). 

The majority (55.7%) of street children and women did not know the transmission routes of STDs and HIV.  A large proportion (64.5%) of the street children did not attend any kind of health education programs.  Their personal hygiene is found to be very poor.

Conclusion:  Improving access to existing health facilities, providing them with health education and looking for possibilities to reunite the street children with their families are recommended.  [Ethiop.J.Health Dev.  2002;16(2):129-137]

Negussie Taffa^1,3, Johann