Correlates of Non-Partner Physical Violence among Ethiopian Women

Intimate and non-partner violence against women are major societal and public health problems afflicting many women around the world. Unlike intimate partner violence (IPV), non-partner violence (NPV) has not been well researched in Ethiopia. Thus, individual, physical, social, and environmental factors associated with NPV are largely unknown. For the study, we used national data collected in the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey. The survey sample was selected with two-stage stratified cluster sampling. Multivariate logistic regression model was fitted to understand the association between NPV and its correlates. Overall, 45% of the women reported having experienced physical NPV in Ethiopia. Women who owned assets, solely or jointly (land, house, or both), were 70% less likely to report NPV than women who had no such assets. Thus, structural interventions that integrate women’s asset ownership and provide special microfinancing services for women along with community-based gender education programs may have a potential to reduce violence against women in Ethiopia.