Sexual violence (SV) is a major public health issue in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in the eastern part of the country where women have been victims of SV for many years. The objective of this study is to provide an overview of the survivor and perpetrator characteristics, as well as the circumstances surrounding SV incidents in Goma. We conducted a retrospective, descriptive cross-sectional study using data from all SV survivors who sought medical care at four hospitals in Goma from January 2019 to December 2020. The analysis of the data was carried out using STATA 16 software. A total of 700 women sought medical attention for SV in the four hospitals. The survivors\' age range was 12-67 years with a mean age of 31.7 ± 14.6 years. Women aged 20-29 years were the most affected (28%). The majority of SV survivors experienced their first assault (88.29%) and sought medical attention within 72 h (60.6%). The assaults occurred mostly outside the SV survivors\' homes under armed threat (84.29%), predominantly by men in civilian clothes (61.43%) compared to men in military uniform (38.57%). More than half of the survivors were assaulted by a stranger (64.71%), and of those, more than half were committed by a single perpetrator (57.29%). The findings underscore the urgent need to address this pervasive issue, emphasizing the necessity of targeted interventions to protect survivors and prevent future incidents. The circumstances surrounding these assaults, such as the prevalence of armed threats and attacks outside survivors\' homes, highlight the complex challenges in combating SV in this region.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the gender-specific impact of recent exposure to different forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence (SHV) on depression and anxiety symptoms three, six, and nine months later.
METHODS: We recruited 2229 women and 1274 men studying at Swedish universities and followed them with web-surveys every three months over one year. We estimated mean differences (MDs) of depression and anxiety symptoms between exposed and unexposed at each follow-up, adjusting for prior SHV, prior depression and anxiety symptoms and potential confounders.
RESULTS: For women, sexual harassment (wide subjective definition) was associated with higher symptom levels of depression (MD 1.0 [95% CI: 0.3; 1.7]) and anxiety (MD 0.8 [95% CI: 0.3; 1.4]) three months later. Unwanted sexual attention was associated with higher symptom levels of anxiety three (MD 0.5 [95% CI: 0.1; 0.8]) and six months later (MD 0.4 [95% CI: 0.0; 0.7]). Exposure to sex against ones will was associated with higher depression symptoms three (MD 1.7 [95% CI: 0.1;3.4]), and six months later (MD 3.1 [95% CI: 1.0; 5.2]). Trends indicated that associations with subsequent mental health differed between forms of SHV among women, and that most associations were more pronounced in temporal proximity to the exposures. For men, we refrain from interpreting the results since they showed high variability and were not robust to sensitivity analyses using multiple imputation to account for missing outcome data.
CONCLUSIONS: Among women, several forms of SHV were associated with higher subsequent depression and anxiety symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence (IPV) can be described as a violation of human rights that results from gender inequality. It has arisen as a contemporary issue in societies from both developing and industrialized countries and an impediment to long-term development. This study evaluates the prevalence of IPV and its variants among the empowerment status of women and identify the associated sociodemographic parameters, linked to IPV.
METHODS: This study is based on data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) of India, 2019-21 a nationwide survey that provides scientific data on health and family welfare. Prevalence of IPV were estimated among variouss social and demographic strata. Pearson chi-square test was used to estimate the strength of association between each possible covariate and IPV. Significantly associated covariates (from univariate logistic regression) were further analyzed through separate bivariate logistic models for each of the components of IPV, viz-a-viz sexual, emotional, physical and severe violence of the partners.
RESULTS: The prevalence of IPV among empowered women was found to be 26.21%. Among those who had experienced IPV, two-thirds (60%) were faced the physical violence. When compared to highly empowered women, less empowered women were 74% more likely to face emotional abuse. Alcohol consumption by a partner was established to be attributing immensely for any kind of violence, including sexual violence [AOR: 3.28 (2.83-3.81)].
CONCLUSIONS: Our research found that less empowered women experience all forms of IPV compared to more empowered women. More efforts should to taken by government and other stakeholders to promote women empowerment by improving education, autonomy and decision-making ability.

BACKGROUND: People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are highly vulnerable to discrimination and violence, which impact physical and mental health. The study examines past-month discrimination and violence against PEH in Los Angeles County (LAC).
METHODS: 332 PEH in LAC were surveyed about their past-month experiences with discrimination, physical violence, and sexual violence from April-July 2023. Analyses were conducted in 2023.
RESULTS: 31.8% of respondents reported experiencing discrimination daily and 53.9% reported it weekly, whereas rates of lifetime discrimination in studies of general populations of minoritized groups range between 13-60%. Nearly half of respondents who reported experiencing discrimination (49.6%) believed that their housing situation was the reason they were targeted. Victimization was also common, with 16.0% of participants experiencing physical violence and 7.5% experiencing sexual violence in the past 30 days. These rates of past-month victimization are high when compared to past-year physical violence (3.0%) and sexual violence (0.24%) among general populations in major U.S. cities. In multivariate regression analyses, discrimination was associated with being unsheltered in a vehicle (p<0.05) or outdoors (p<0.001), weekly illicit drug use (p<0.01), and psychological distress (p<0.001); violent victimization was associated with being sheltered (p<0.05) or unsheltered outdoors (p<0.001), physical health conditions (p<0.05), and psychological distress (p<0.01); and sexual victimization was associated with non-male gender (p<0.05) and being unsheltered outdoors (p<0.05). Discrimination and victimization outcomes were not associated with any race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, or time homeless characteristics.
CONCLUSIONS: Study findings highlight the dangers of homelessness in the U.S., particularly for those who are unsheltered outdoors.

BACKGROUND: Armed conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has significantly increased the incidence of sexual violence against women. Victims who manage to access health care within 72 h of experiencing rape can receive critical preventive care to mitigate the consequences of such violence. Despite this, a disproportionately small number of victims are able to obtain medical care within this crucial time frame. This study aimed to identify both individual and contextual factors that influence the likelihood of accessing post-rape care within 72 h in the eastern DRC.
METHODS: This retrospective cohort study utilized patient records from Panzi Hospital along with contextual data provided by the South Kivu Provincial Ministry of Health. It encompassed rape victims residing in South Kivu province who sought post-rape care between 2014 and 2019. To identify individual and contextual factors influencing timely access to care (within 72 h), multilevel logistic regression analysis was employed.
RESULTS: The study included a total of 4,048 women, with 30 % being under 18 years old and 40 % married. Around 13 % accessed care within 72 h of rape. Multivariate analysis revealed that timely access to care (within 72 h) was negatively influenced by factors such as the isolation of the victim\'s health zone of residence (aOR = 0.29 [0.14-0.63], p = 0.002), the distance between the home health zone and the hospital (aOR = 0.75 [0.54-0.99], p = 0.041), instances of rape occurring in 2015 or earlier (aOR = 0.44 [0.34-0.57], p < 0.001), and referrals to the hospital from other health facilities or organizations (aOR = 0.78 [0.61-1.00], p = 0.049). Conversely, being single was positively associated with access to care within this critical period (aOR = 1.29 [1.03-1.61], p = 0.024). Furthermore, statistical trends indicate that the presence of Panzi partner NGOs in the victim\'s health zone might facilitate access to care (aOR = 1.33 [0.99-1.80], p = 0.057), highlighting an area of interest, while being internally displaced at the time of rape was associated with a trend towards reduced access to care (aOR = 0.78 [0.59-1.02], p = 0.068), underscoring the need for further research and targeted interventions.
CONCLUSIONS: To enhance access to post-rape care, our study highlights the need for strengthened collaboration with all partnering organizations and focused efforts on raising awareness, particularly among married women and their husbands. Enhancing security measures, constructing or upgrading roads to better connect major cities with currently inaccessible or isolated areas, bolstering the efforts of both local and international NGOs, and offering comprehensive reproductive health services to internally displaced women and those residing in the victims\' health zones, are crucial steps toward ensuring access to post-rape care within the critical 72-hour window.

BACKGROUND: Sexual violence (SV) is a public health problem with high prevalence among the young population. The use of formal resources for SV care (e.g. institutional services) is low in this age group. This study applies a framework of health assets to identify the factors that positively influence the search for support for SV among young people, the functions of that support and the level of proximity as articulated by both young people and professionals.
METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted through 38 semi-structured interviews with young people and professionals from SV resource centers and/or care services for the young population in Spain. A thematic theoretical analysis was conducted, embedded in inductive insights emerging from the data, following a particular adaptation of the constant comparative method, under the grounded theory approach. This analysis was carried out by coding the interview transcripts with the support of Atlas.ti.
RESULTS: Young women identified assets, categorized as feminist, that they believe they are essential in the search for formal support services for SV. However, unlike young men, they considered the police and judicial system to be barriers and not assets. There were also differences between the young people and professionals in identifying assets. Young people also considered their partner and traditional media as health assets, in contrast to professionals who did not identify these as such valuable resources in the help-seeking process. Informal assets, such as family, friends and the internet are considered close resources. In contrast, specialized care services for gender-based violence/SV and the judicial and police systems were perceived as more distant resources among the young interviewees.
CONCLUSIONS: This study shows similarities and discrepancies among young women and men and SV response professionals in identifying assets for seeking SV support among youth. The study shows an inverse relationship between perceptions of proximity and the level of formality of the asset. This study also contributes to map the relationships and information exchanges between assets. It is advisable to inform professionals about the assets that professionals do not acknowledge, and about actions that allow young people to access formal resources.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to provide epidemiological information on drug-facilitated sexual assault in Spanish youth partying, with a focus on prevalence rates and associated sociodemographic factors.
METHODS: Cross-sectional study.
METHODS: Quota sampling was used to recruit 1601 young people aged 18-35 years in Spain from a digital panel. A validated questionnaire on drug-facilitated sexual assault was used to assess five types of lifetime victimisation experiences while partying. Chi-square and the exact Fisher tests were used to describe the prevalence of victimisation, drug use patterns, and perpetrator profiles. Generalised ordered logistic regression was used to explore factors associated with victimisation, analysed by gender.
RESULTS: Half of young women and one-quarter of young men had experienced drug-facilitated sexual assault in their lifetime. Female victimisation due to touching and kissing was notably high, whereas men comprised almost half of the victims of more invasive DFSA experiences involving masturbation, penetration, and oral sex. Opportunism prevailed as the assault tactic, consisting of taking advantage of the victims\' incapacity derived from voluntary alcohol use. Among women, risk of victimisation was associated with a lower education level, foreign-born status, and being non-heterosexual. Male victimisation risk was highest among non-heterosexual men.
CONCLUSIONS: Drug-facilitated sexual violence in youth nightlife contexts is a serious public health issue in Spain, which requires urgent action. Most assaults involve taking advantage of victims who are incapacitated by the effects of voluntary alcohol consumption. This sexual violence primarily affects women with lower educational levels or those who are foreign-born and non-heterosexual men and women.

Sexual decision making is often grounded in social scripts that can be detrimental to women\'s healthy relationship and sexual development during the transition to college. Little is known about the malleable decision-making processes and drinking behaviors that influence sexual behaviors from day-to-day. We examined whether women were more likely to engage in sexual behaviors on days they had higher intentions and willingness to engage in sex or drink alcohol. We also explored interactions between sex- and alcohol-related decision constructs. Eighty-two first-year college women completed 14-days of ecological momentary assessment, reporting on alcohol- and sex-related intentions and willingness (3x daily) and daily drinking and sexual behaviors. We found partial support for our hypotheses: intentions and willingness to have sex were positively associated with sex behaviors, but willingness to drink was negatively associated with sex behaviors. Heavy drinking was associated with sexual behavior, even when women indicated no prior willingness to engage in sexual behavior on those days. Findings highlight the need to address event-level variability in sexual decision making, with a particular focus on how alcohol impacts these processes. Further, the robust association between sexual intentions and behavior suggests intention setting may be a particularly useful sexual empowerment education tool.

Sexual homicides (SHs) demand nuanced research for effective prevention, treatment, risk assessment and theoretical insights. Intimate-partner sexual homicides (IPSHs), comprising approximately 20% of SHs, have received limited attention. This study compares IPSHs (n = 56) and non-intimate partner sexual homicides (NIPSHs) (n = 236) in Australia and New Zealand by investigating offender, victim, and crime-scene characteristics. While IPSH perpetrators were typically older, separated, and had prior domestic violence convictions, victims were more often non-white with histories of domestic violence and substance use. Although crime-scene locations and post-offence behaviours differed, similar crime scene behaviours were displayed across offender groups, which seemed to be routed in different underlying motives. Whereas drivers of IPSH commonly were grievance and anger, associated with offences occurring after arguments, drivers for NIPSH were more often sexual deviance and sadism. Overall, IPSH encompasses aspects of domestic violence, homicide, and sexual violence, distinguishing it from SH.

In this study, exploratory research on self-determination using Indigenous research methods provided a model to help heal trauma and discuss recovery for traumatic sexual experiences. The methods and healing were based on a Cree worldview. Informed consent and questions were developed by the principal investigator prior to the research commencing. Eleven co-creators had the opportunity to revise questions, discuss the research, speak the Cree language, and participate in one-to-one interviews, group meetings and ceremonies. They also had the chance to review the transcripts and approve/disapprove the content, provide guidance on sacred knowledge and suggest terms to use, and co-author the paper, if they chose and three did. A Cree concept was developed from the work, namely, nehiyaw isecikewena which involved promoting self-determination and sovereignty alongside recovery.