Though both males and females have a high awareness level of IPV and SRHR, the prevalence of IPV and SRHR violation amongst females is still very high in the Fako Division, Cameroon.
The vast majority of surveyed females had experienced at least one form of intimate partner violence.
Nearly two-thirds of surveyed females had experienced at least one form of sexual and reproductive health and rights violation.
Being an internally displaced person was independently associated with experiencing a higher number of IPV incidents.
Being unskilled and divorced were independently associated with experiencing a higher number of IPV incidents, while being widowed and earning lower income were associated with fewer incidents.
Both males and females demonstrated high levels of awareness of IPV and female sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Level of education was significantly associated with IPV awareness in both females and males.
This research suggests that intimate partner violence (IPV) and violations of women's sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are extremely common among women in the Fako Division of Cameroon, even though most men and women in the region are already aware that these rights exist. Specifically, 95% of the 860 women surveyed had experienced at least one form of IPV, and nearly 65% had experienced at least one SRHR violation. At the same time, roughly 85% or more of both men and women surveyed could identify what constitutes IPV and what women's SRHR entail — indicating a major disconnect between knowledge and behavior. Certain groups of women were at higher risk: those who were displaced from their homes, those in unskilled occupations, and those who were divorced experienced IPV more frequently. Education level was an important factor — less educated individuals were less aware of IPV and SRHR, and lower education was also linked to experiencing more violations. Having a skilled job was associated with better awareness of women's SRHR rights. This research suggests that simply informing people about women's rights is not enough to reduce violence and rights violations. Since awareness is already high but abuse continues at very high rates, the authors point to the need for interventions that go beyond education — specifically, programs directed at men that promote behavior change, challenge harmful social norms, and engage men as active supporters of women's rights. This could be especially important for vulnerable groups such as internally displaced women.
Nchong Achere N, Atanga S, Obinchemti Egbe T, Nicholas T. (2025). Prevalence and awareness of female sexual and reproductive health and rights and intimate partner violence in the Fako Division, Cameroon.. Reproductive health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-025-01974-7