Dating Violence Experienced by Students at the University of Zambia

Abstract

Dating violence is a complex problem determined by multiple factors. Poverty, cultural and social environmental factors are a major contributor to the gender based violence. The aim of this study was to examine the nature and extent of dating violence experienced by students at the University of Zambia. Eighteen students (nine males and nine females) aged fifteen to thirty years were recruited from the University of Zambia hostels. In-depth interviews with semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. This study has found that various forms of dating violence exists at the University of Zambia. The study further found risk factors that were associated with dating violence such as consumption of alcohol and/or use of entertaining substances, as well as being involved in aggressive activities such as fighting or insulting; other factors included; poverty, experiencing of inter-parental violence and prior experience with violence. The psychological and emotional implications were that some students became depressed and stressed, insecure, ideated suicide, feared sex, distrusted people and were worried and uneasy. Under physiological and health outcomes, some students contracted STDs and HIV, body injuries, became pregnant, and others lost or terminated their pregnancy. Furthermore, social implications were that some students became aggressive, went into self-isolation, and began living recklessly. Physical abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse and psychological or emotional abuse where the most common types of dating abuse found at the University of Zambia. Conclusively, In addition to awareness against gender based violence, youth friendly corners should be considered during the treatment of gender based violence in universities.