Citation

Mitchell E, Bennett LR. Violence Against Women 2019; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Affiliation

The Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1077801219882505

PMID

31663433

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a violation of women's human rights and dramatically increases women's vulnerability to sexual and reproductive health morbidities. This article examines young iTaukei (Indigenous Fijian) women's experiences of, and responses to, nonphysical forms of coercion in romantic relationships. It draws on ethnographic research with young unmarried women attending university in Suva, Fiji. Young women disclosed experiencing a continuum of coercive behaviors, including verbal pressure, deception, and manipulation by male partners to initiate sexual intercourse, unprotected sex, and unsafe abortions.

FINDINGS indicate an urgent need to address IPV within premarital relationships in Fiji to promote young women's sexual and reproductive health and autonomy.

Language: en

Keywords

Fiji; intimate partner violence; sexual and reproductive coercion; young women