Abstract:
Many adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) experience gender-based violence (GBV)
in Tanzania and only few seek GBV health services following violence. The objectives of our study are
(1) to evaluate knowledge of gender-based violence among AGYW, (2) to explore their perceptions of
and experiences with GBV health service quality and (3) to evaluate access to comprehensive GBV
services. This study employed an explanatory, sequential mixed methods design in two districts
of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (Kinondoni and Temeke). A quantitative cross-sectional survey among
AGYW (n = 403) between 15–24 years old was performed to assess their knowledge of GBV as well as
perceptions of and experiences with GBV health services. The quantitative data was complemented
by 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews with participants. Out of 403 study participants, more than
three quarters (77.9%) had moderate to good knowledge of how GBV is defined and what constitutes
gender-based violence. However, few participants (30.7%, n = 124) demonstrated knowledge of
GBV health services offered at local health facilities. For example, only 10.7% (n = 43) of participants
reported knowledge of forensic evidence collection. Additionally, of 374 participants (93% of total
participants) who reported to have received GBV education sessions, only 66% accessed GBV health
services (n = 247) and about half of these (52.7%, n = 130) were satisfied with these services. The study
indicated that—despite good knowledge about what constituted GBV—knowledge about the roles
and availability of GBV health services was limited and utilization of GBV health services remained
low. Coordinated actions need to be strengthened to reach AGYW who remain unaware of GBV
health services offered at health facilities by improving GBV service quality, bettering interventions
aimed at reducing GBV among AGYW in Tanzania, and scaling-up integrated service models, such
as GBV one-stop centers.
