COMPARISON OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AMONG STUDENTS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ILORIN, KWARA STATE

Abstract

Gender based violence (GBV) occurs worldwide and is a major public health problem. There is however dearth of information on experience of GBV among students in both public and private secondary schools in Nigeria. The study aimed to compare experience of GBV among students in public and private secondary schools in llorin South Local Government Area (LGA) kwara State, Nigeria. Three hundred and two students in both public and private secondary schools were interviewed. A pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, awareness on GBV, knowledge of GBV, perception and experience on the types of GBV. Data were analyzed using frequency, t-test, chi-square and logistic regression statistics at 95% significant level. The mean age of respondents in public schools were 15.99±1.75years versus 15.92±1.69 of those in private schools (p>0.05). Majority (75.5%) of the respondents in private schools stayed with both parents compared with 59.3% of those in public schools (p<0.005). More (67.9%) of the respondents from private schools had ever heard of GBV compared with 62.3% of those from public schools (p<0.05). Overall, majority of respondents from private schools had good knowledge of GBV with a mean knowledge of 6.95±1.74 compared with 6.61±1.74 of those from public schools (p<0.05). The mean age at sexual debut was higher (15.48±1.88) among respondents from private schools compared with 14.76±2.32 of those in public schools (p>0.05). More (69.2%) of the respondents from private schools than less than half (47.4%) of those in public schools had positive perception on GBV (p<0.05). Ever experience of at least one of the three forms of violence was higher (89.1%) among those from public schools compared with 84.8% of those from private schools (p>0.05). Psychological violence ranked first with 72.5% of the respondents in private schools compared with 69.2% of those in public schools (p>0.05), followed by physical violence with 70.2% occurring among those in private schools compared with 67.2% among those in public schools (p>0.05) and sexual violence was 41.4% in public schools compared with 37.4% of those from private schools (p=0.05). The following were predictors on the experience of the forms of GBV. For physical violence, sex (p<0.001, OR=l.78, 95%CI=1.25-2.52), sexual violence was "if father had ever beaten mother" (p<0.001, OR=l.95, 95%CI=l.37-2.77), having boy/girlfriend (p<0.001, OR=3.27, 95%CI=2.33-4.59), for psychological violence sex, (p<0.001, OR=l.84, 95%CI=l.28-2.64) and having boy/girlfriends (p<0.02, OR=l.51, 95%CI= l.06-2.16). Knowledge of GBY was fair; majority of the respondents in both groups of schools had experienced at least one form of GBV in the last one year. The rate at which health talks are organized should be increased in the media, schools and parents should also be synthesized more on the need to address this problem seriously.