Violence against Women in a Slum Area in Helwan, Cairo, Egypt: A Community Based Survey

Background: Violence against women (VAW) is a major global public health problem with serious consequences. We aimed to estimate the prevalence of VAW aged 18-45 yr in a slum area in Helwan, Cairo, to assess their knowledge and perspective regarding VAW, and to assess their help-seeking practice in response to violence. Study design: Cross-sectional design. Methods: This community based survey was carried out among 657 women in a slum area in Helwan, Cairo, Egypt in 2018. Data about the women’s knowledge about VAW, exposure to different forms of violence and their frequency, women’s perspective towards violence, and their healthcare-seeking behavior on exposure to violence were collected using an interviewing questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of exposure to at least one type of intimate partner violence (IPV) was 59.1% with psychological violence ranking 1st followed by physical violence. Most women exposed to IPV reported that they have never asked for healthcare upon exposure to violence. One third had good knowledge. Most had favorable perspective against VAW. Conclusion: Most women suffered some kind of violence. They, however, did not seek help most of the time.