Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) deals with sexual violence within the context of domestic violence. Intimate partner sexual violence is defined by any unwanted sexual contact or activity by an intimate partner in order to control an individual through fear, threats, or violence. Women are the primary victims of this type of violence.
Domestic violence and sexual abuse Domestic sexual violence, such as forced sex or marital rape, may follow or be part of physical abuse, but is not always the case. In Mexico and the United States, studies estimate that 40–52% of women experiencing physical violence by an intimate partner have also been sexually coerced by that partner.Campbell JC, Soeken KL. Forced sex and intimate partner violence: effects on women's risk and women's health. Violence Against Women, 1999, 5:1017–1035.Granados Shiroma M.Salud reproductiva y violencia contra la mujer: un ana lisis desde la perspectiva de género. [Reproductive health and violence against women: an analysis from the gender perspective of Nuevo Leon, Asociación Mexicana de Población, Colegio de México, 1996.
Sexual violence may occur without physical violence.Hakimi M et al. Silence for the sake of harmony: domestic violence and women's health in central Java. Yogyakarta, Gadjah Mada University, 2001. In the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, in a representative sample of over 6000 men, 7% reported having sexually and physically abused their wives, 22% reported using sexual violence without physical violence and 17% reported that they had used physical violence alone.Martin SL et al. Sexual behaviour and reproductive health outcomes: associations with wife abuse in India. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1999, 282:1967–1972.
Around 30% of women are victims of physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner.
Types of coercion Aggressors can use different techniques to sexually abuse their partner.
Emotional coercion Emotional coercion can be seen through the use of threats, manipulation, harassment, and neglect. A study shows that the harm done through this type of coercion is comparable to that done by rape.
Threats to a third party Threats to a third party involve threatening the victim to do what the abuser wants or else they will inflict pain on people the victim cherishes.
Threats of harm to the victim Threats of harm to the victim imply threatening to inflict pain on the victim, whether by the intimate partner or by outsiders.
Physical force Physical force is the use of objects, substances, and/or one's own body to obtain sex. Homicide committed by an intimate partner is often preceded by sexual acts obtained through physical force.
Online sexual violence A recent CNN investigation revealed a global online network encouraging, teaching and normalizing sexual violence mainly among partners. The victims are unconscious and the videos are uploaded online for others to see.
Health effects Intimate partner sexual violence is linked to sexual, physical, psychological, and reproductive damage. The effects can vary in duration.
Women who are victims of intimate partner sexual violence are at high risk of getting HIV and STIs. One reason for this is that men who are violent in this manner usually have dangerous habits like engaging in sexual acts with many individuals.
Victims of intimate partner sexual violence are also at risk of having undesirable pregnancies, abortions, miscarriages, and stillbirths. Infertility is another possible consequence of this violence on women.
Young victims of intimate partner sexual violence can come to adopt unhealthy behaviors such as the use of alcohol and drugs.
Children who have seen intimate partner sexual violence are profoundly affected psychologically. They can experience post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety. Children are likely to incorporate what they see into their belief systems because they are accustomed to it.
Incidence by country Studies indicate that sexual assault by an intimate partner is neither rare nor unique to any particular region of the world. For instance, 23% of women in North London, England, reported having been the victim of either an attempted or completed rape by a partner in their lifetime. Similar figures have been reported for Guadalajara, Mexico (23.0%), León, Nicaragua, (21.7%), Lima, Peru (22.5%), and for the Midlands Province in Zimbabwe (25.0%). The prevalence of women sexually assaulted by an intimate partner in their lifetime (including attempted assaults) has also been estimated in a few national surveys (for example, Canada 8.0%, England, Wales and Scotland (combined) 14.2%, Finland 5.9%, Switzerland 11.6% and the United States 7.7%, Nigeria 22.3). in France According to estimates, 220,000 women are victims of violence, 94,000 are raped each year and at least 100 were killed by their partners in 2021. Around 30% of sexual violence offenders were found to have committed violence before, 29% of complaints cases failed to move from police to the judiciary and 80% are closed without getting justice.
The table below summarizes some available data on the prevalence of sexual coercion by intimate partners.
Percentage of adult women reporting sexual assaults by an intimate partnerselected population-based surveys 1989 - 2000 Country Study population Year Sample sizeAssaulted in the past 12 months attempted or completed sexEver assaulted attempted or completed forced sexEver assaulted completed forced sex Brazil São Paulo 2000 941 2.8% 10.1% Pernambuco 2000 1188 5.6% 14.3% CanadaRodgers K. Wife assault: the findings of a national survey. Juristat Service Bulletin, 1994, 14:1–22.Randall M et al. Sexual violence in women's lives: findings from the women's safety project, a community-based survey. Violence Against Women, 1995, 1:6–31. national 1993 12300 8.0% Toronto 1991 to 1992 420 15.3% ChileGillioz L, DePuy J, Ducret V. Domination et violences envers la femme dans le couple. [Domination and violence against women in the couple.] Lausanne, Payot-Editions, 1997. Santiago 1997 310 9.1% FinlandHeiskanen M, Piispa M. Faith, hope and battering: a survey of men's violence against women in Finland. Helsinki, Statistics Finland, 1998. national 1997 to 1998 7051 2.5% 5.9% Japan Yokohama 2000 1287 1.3% 6.2% IndonesiaHakimi M et al. Silence for the sake of harmony: domestic violence and women's health in central Java. Yogyakarta, Gadjah Mada University, 2001. Central Java 1999 to 2000 765 13.0% 22.0% MexicoHeise LL, Ellsberg M, Gottemoeller M. Ending violence against women. Baltimore, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, Center for Communications Programs, 1999 (Population Reports, Series L, No.11). Durango 1996 384 42.0% Guadalajara 1996 650 15.0% 23.0% NicaraguaMorrison A et al. The socio-economic impact of domestic violence against women in Chile and Nicaragua. Washington, DC, Inter-American Development Bank, 1997.Ellsberg MC. Candies in hell: domestic violence against women in Nicaragua. Umea˚, Umea˚ University, 1997. León 1993 360 21.7% Managua 1997 378 17.7% Peru Lima 2000 1086 7.1% 22.5% Cusco 2000 1534 22.9% 46.7% Puerto RicoPuerto Rico: encuesto de salud reproductiva 1995– 1996. [Puerto Rico: reproductive health survey 1995–1996.] San Juan, University of Puerto Rico and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998. national 1993 to 1996 7079 5.7% SwedenRisberg G, Lundgren E, Westman G. Prevalence of sexualized violence among women: a populationbased study in a primary healthcare district. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 1999, 27:247–253. Umeå 1991 251 7.5% Switzerland national 1994 to 1995 1500 11.6% Thailand Bangkok 2000 1 051 17.1% 29.9% Nakhon Sawan 2000 1027 15.6% 28.9% TurkeyIlkkaracan P et al. Exploring the context of women's sexuality in Eastern Turkey. Reproductive Health Matters, 1998, 6:66–75. East and south-east Anatolia 1998 599 51.9% United KingdomPainter K, Farrington DP. Marital violence in Great Britain and its relationship to marital and nonmarital rape. International Review of Victimology, 1998, 5:257–276.Mooney J. The hidden figure: domestic violence in north London. London, Middlesex University, 1993. England, Scotland and Wales 1989 1007 14.2% North London 1993 430 6.0% 23.0% United StatesTjaden P, Thoennes N. Full report of the prevalence, incidence and consequences of violence against women: findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey. Washington, DC, National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, United States Department of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2000 (NCJ 183781). national 1995 to 1996 8000 0.2% 7.7% West Bank and Gaza StripHaj Yahia MM. The incidence of wife abuse and battering and some demographic correlates revealed in two national surveys in Palestinian society. Ramallah, Besir Centre for Research and Development, 1998. Palestinians 1995 2410 27.0% ZimbabweWatts C et al. Withholding sex and forced sex: dimensions of violence against Zimbabwean women. Reproductive Health Matters, 1998, 6:57–65. Midlands Province 1996 966 25.0%
See also Domestic violence Intimate partner violence Marital rape Sexual assault Thordis Elva - Rape victim who collaborated with her assailant to author a book about the experience
References
External links National organizations MenCanStopRape.org Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, the United States' largest anti-sexual assault organization. Sexual Assault Care Centre Scarborough, An extensive resource for victims/survivors of sexual assault.
Support organizations Casualspace, online support group with forums, mobile ready chat rooms, and blogs. Resources and information on several categories pertaining to abuse. After Silence, online support group and forums and chat room for survivors of rape and sexual abuse, and their supporters. Pandora's Aquarium, an online support group, message board, and chat room for sexual assault survivors and their supporters. Support for Victims and Their Family, Support for Victims and Their Family
Research and information Award Winning Documentary on Sexual Assault and Healing Rape Crisis Information Pathfinder- research on sexual assault U.S. Army Sexual Assault Prevention & Response Program
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