Disability status and violence against women in the home in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

Few studies have investigated how women's disability status may influence violence against women within conflict settings. A mixed-methods analysis of formative qualitative research and cross-sectional baseline pilot data from a violence prevention program in North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was used to examine violence against disabled adult women within the home. Logistic regression models were constructed to examine the relationship between past-month physical/sexual intimate partner violence, disability status, and older age (N = 98 women). Deductive thematic analysis of focus groups and individual interviews (N = 57 men, 59 women) was used to identify community norms and perceptions of violence against women with disabilities in the home. Women who reported mild disability reported higher experiences of past-month physical and/or sexual IPV (85.0%) compared to those who reported severe or no disability (76.5% vs. 70.8%, respectively). Older women with mild disability were more likely to report physical IPV compared to their younger counterparts as well (OR = 1.23, 95%CI: 1.01, 1.49, p < 0.039). Qualitative findings suggested family members may be deterred from perpetrating abuse against older women. These findings highlight a complex relationship between women's disability status and violence perpetration, underscoring the importance of having inclusive, contextual violence against women prevention and response programming in conflict settings.