Partner Violence in Moshi, Northern Tanzania: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Laura McCloskey, Harvard University
Corrine Williams, Harvard University

Violence against women poses a worldwide threat to women's health (Fishbach & Herbert 2000; Heise 2002), but relatively little cross-national research has been done to illuminate how culture, political economy and gender might intersect differently to create this widespread risk. This paper presents results from a cross-sectional study in Moshi Urban District in the Kilimanjaro Region of northern Tanzania. Women were asked about: socio-demographic characteristics (i.e., age, education, religion, tribe, employment); partner violence in the past year and ever during their lives (verbal, physical, sexual); sexual assault by any perpetrator; and variables including marital history and partner status, pregnancy history, number of children, their own alcohol use, and partner's employment and alcohol use. 19.9% of women were victims of partner violence during the year preceding the interview. 25.4% women reported partner violence or sexual assault ever during their lives. Further analyses are proposed to test risk factors for partner violence.