Zambia Demographic and Health Survey 2001-2002 - Measure DHS

By age group, women 15-19 are generally the least likely to report having ever experienced physicalviolence; however, at the same time, women in this age group are the most likely to report having experiencedviolence in the past year. Overall, women in urban areas report experience of physical violence more thanthose living in rural areas. Women living in the highly urbanised Copperbelt and Lusaka provinces reportmore physical violence ever and in the past year than those living in other provinces.Divorced or separated women are more likely to report having been beaten or physically mistreatedsince age 15 (67 percent) than women in union or widowed (56 percent each). The pattern is different forreported violence in the last 12 months, where women currently in union report higher level of physicalviolence (26 percent) than those separated or divorced (22 percent) or widowed (9 percent).Notably, there is an inverse relationship between experience of physical violence since age 15 andwomen’s level of education among the ever-married group. Women with higher than secondary education aremore likely to report having experienced physical violence since age 15 than those with less education. Theopposite is true for reported violence in the last 12 months, where women with higher education are the leastlikely to experience beatings or physical mistreatment.Never-married women with no education are less likely to be physically mistreated in the long andshort term than those with primary or secondary education. Unemployed never-married women report morephysical violence since age 15 and in the last year than those employed. Among those employed, women whoearn cash are slightly less likely to be physically abused than those employed but not for cash.12.4 PERPETRATORS OF PHYSICAL VIOLENCEDuring the 2001-2002 ZDHS, women who reported any physical violence were asked who theperpetrator(s) of the violence was. Table 12.3 shows the percentage of women who report any physicalviolence since age 15 by perpetrator(s) of the violence, according to their current marital status.Table 12.3 Perpetrators of physical violenceAmong women who report any physical violence since age 15, percentage reportingviolence by specific perpetrators, by current marital status, Zambia 2001-2002Marital statusPerpetratorNevermarried MarriedSeparated/divorced Widowed TotalCurrent husband/partner na 77.8 na na 49.6Former husband/partner na 3.2 81.7 73.0 15.8Current boyfriend 1.8 0.0 0.3 0.6 0.4Former boyfriend 2.2 1.3 2.9 1.2 1.7Mother/father 35.1 17.4 11.1 20.5 20.1Siblings 15.9 7.7 5.1 8.5 9.0In-laws 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.1Other relative 9.4 3.0 3.8 4.9 4.4Male friend 13.2 2.6 5.5 3.2 5.0Female friend 9.3 2.7 3.0 8.9 4.3Teacher 22.2 4.8 4.9 6.9 8.2Stranger 6.0 1.7 2.4 4.4 2.7Other 2.8 1.1 0.2 3.7 1.4Number of women 507 1,706 326 138 2,677na = Not applicable188 | Violence against Women