Sexual violence and terminated pregnancy in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda

How are women faring and what can be done

Bibliographic Data

ID19222791
AuthorsRachel J Hagues (Samford University, corresponding author), Sara Helms Mccarty (0000-0003-2100-728X, Samford University)
Year2026
Pages1-16
Publication date2026-04-26
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1091-1359 • E-ISSN: 1540-3556
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10911359.2026.2660980
OpenAlexW7156187506
LanguageEN
References cited19

We expand the use of Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data to examine the relationship between sexual violence, physical violence, age at first sex, and terminated pregnancy and fertility outcomes in Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. Our sample includes 12,099 women who report ever having sex and are aged 35–49 across three countries: Kenya (3,431), Uganda (3,548), and Tanzania (5,120). For women who report ever having sex and are aged between 15 and 34, we have a sample of 25,279 across three countries: Kenya (7,262), Uganda (8,542), and Tanzania (9,475). Using Stata, we apply survey weights to ordinary least-squares models to examine the correlates of several measures of fertility. We find that the younger a woman is when she begins sexual activity, the more likely it is that she would have a terminated pregnancy. We also find that women who experience physical violence are more likely to have a terminated pregnancy, while the results are less clear with respect to sexual violence. Older women are 3.3% points more likely (on a base of 25.6%) and younger women are 3.6% points more likely (on a base of 12.9%) to have a terminated pregnancy if they have experienced physical violence, a staggering effect for younger women. Among women ages 35–49, we find no evidence that experience with violence (physical or sexual) affects age at first birth. Findings have implications for policies and programmatic interventions that could improve women’s status and access to rights across East Africa.

Domestic violence · Poison control · Population · Pregnancy · Sexual abuse · Sexual assault · Sexual violence · Gender, Security, and Conflict · International Human Rights and Reproductive Law · Intimate Partner and Family Violence

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