Prevalence and patterns of gender-based violence among adolescent girls fetching water in peri-urban settings of Kinshasa, DR Congo

In water-scarcity contexts, girls fetching water are exposed to gender-based violence (GBV), for which prevalence, types, and forms were unknown in the Peri-Urban Settings of Kinshasa. A cross-sectional study using multi-stage random sampling technique to select 684 adolescent girls was conducted to assess the extent of water scarcity and GBV affecting adolescent girls while fetching water. Findings indicate that 98.2% of adolescent girls were dealing with water shortage; 99.9% experienced at least one type of GBV, of which 97.1, 95.5, and 44.9% experienced sexual, psychological, and physical violence, respectively. Moral violence was more frequent at water points; physical violence in the household, while sexual violence was prevalent on the water route. Adolescent girls' age, weekly involvement in water collection, and distance were found to be the main factors associated with GBV, whereas reducing the number of daily round-trips, the distance travelled, and time devoted to water collection were found to be mitigating factors limiting GBV experience among adolescent girls. Policies promoting the at-home provision of water and community awareness-raising interventions will mitigate the GBV incidence.