@article{ref1,
title=""It is painful and unpleasant": experiences of sexual violence among married adolescent girls in Shinyanga, Tanzania",
journal="Reproductive health",
year="2021",
author="Nyamhanga, Tumaini and Mwanukuzi, Christine",
volume="18",
number="1",
pages="e1-e1",
abstract="BACKGROUND: While the situation of married adolescent girls in Tanzania is increasingly documented, empirical evidence concerning the ways in which child  marriage impacts girls' and young women's sexual lives is limited. Specifically,  little is known about lived experiences on sexual violence among married adolescent  girls in Tanzania. <br><br>METHODS: This article reports on a qualitative study using a  phenomenological approach to describe married girls' experiences of sexual violence  in the Shinyanga Region, an area with the highest prevalence (59%) of child marriage  in Tanzania. Data were collected from 20 married girls aged 12-17 years. <br><br>RESULTS:  The study identified four analytical themes regarding the experience of sexual  violence, namely: forced sex; rape; struggling against unpleasant and painful sex;  and inculcation of the culture of tolerance of sexual violence. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The  study highlights the voices of married adolescents on an important but a neglected  topic of relevance to Tanzania's public health. <br><br>FINDINGS from this study suggest  that married adolescent girls suffer sexual coercion in silence. Child marriage is a  major public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa in general and in Tanzania in  particular. However, there is limited research on the ways in which it impacts  sexual lives of married adolescent girls. In response to the inadequacy of  information, married adolescent girls in Shinyanga Region of Tanzania were requested  to voice out their experiences of sexual violence. Three themes were identified from  the responses, namely: forced sex; rape, struggling against unpleasant and painful  sex; and the inculcation of the culture of tolerance of sexual violence. In  conclusion, this study has echoed voices of married adolescent girls on the sexual  troubles they experience. Their main concern is that they suffer sexual coercion in  silence, which increases their risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections  and/or unwanted pregnancies. Recommendations for sexual violence prevention  strategies are discussed.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1742-4755",
doi="10.1186/s12978-020-01058-8",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12978-020-01058-8"
}