SUFFERING IN SILENCE: INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN HARAMAYA WOREDA, EAST HARARGHE ZONE, OROMIA REGIONAL STATE, ETHIOPIA

Intimate partner violence is still the most challenging issue of the current time, affecting women’s lives. To fight this life-threatening problem, understanding the problem, its causing factors, and women's attitude is crucial in formulating effective intervention policies. However, there is no study done in the Haramaya district as a result the prevalence, community attitude, and factors causing the violence are unknown. Therefore, the purpose of undertaking this research was to investigate the prevalence, women's attitudes, and the causes of IPVAW in the district. The study drew 256 women respondents by using simple random sampling techniques from each kebele administration. Data was gathered using an interview guide, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive-analytical statistics and qualitative data were analyzed by using the thematic data analysis method. The survey result reveals that the lifetime and past twelve-month prevalence of IPVAW were 59.8% and 52.8% respectively. According to the study findings, most women had supportive attitudes (normalized) towards statements of sexual violence while negative attitudes towards all statements of controlling violence. Of 207 victims women, Only a small percentage of women respondents disclosed their IPV to the police which accounts for only 8.39% of total responses. The respondent's view of causal perception and their simplistic view of IPV, the victims of IPV clueless about where to report after being violently victimized, the victim's fear of losing their children, fear of further escalation of violence from the offender, shying with shame/embarrassment, believing there is nothing police can do and victims fear of exclusion from their community were among the reasons why they opted not to report an abusive act to the police. The study result also shows that jealousy/mistrust, cultural norms, infertility on the part of women, addiction, friend pressure, having extra wives, and work burden were the most factors causing IPVAW. Generally, the high prevalence of intimate partner violence is the implication of the urgency of the problem in the study area. Efforts to reduce IPV should be made by reinforcing the laws and policies that criminalize violent behavior. The concerned body (government, religious leaders, elders, and social workers) should change the cultural and social norms that escalate IPV.