Sex and age effects in past-year experiences of violence amongst adolescents in five countries

Adolescence is a formative period during which experiencing violence can have both short- and long-term consequences. To date, there has been insufficient focus on age and sex differences in studies of violence amongst adolescents and young adults in low- and middle-income countries.

Using Violence Against Children and Youth Survey datasets from Cambodia, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania, incidences of past-year violence victimization were estimated by sex across two-year age bands (13–24 years). The analysis found age effects for physical, sexual, and intimate partner violence for adolescents 13–24 years old, with age effects for sexual violence are stronger among females than males.