Background: Violence against women (VAW) is a widespread human rights, public health, and socio-legal problem with profound consequences. It encompasses physical, emotional, economic, and sexual abuse, as well as harmful practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM). Aim: The aim of the work was to evaluate the medicolegal and sociodemographic aspects of VAW admitted to the Safe Woman Clinic at Benha University Hospitals from September 2024 to August 2025. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 300 women exposed to violence. Data were collected regarding victims' and perpetrators' sociodemographic characteristics, clinical examination of victims, type of violence, and predictors using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: the victims had a mean age of 28 years; most were married housewives from low socio-economic backgrounds. Husbands were mainly perpetrators. Single type of violence was most prevalent (72%), and the most common was physical violence (39%), followed by emotional (20%), while 28% of victims experienced mixed violence. One-third had experienced FGM, mostly performed by doctors at age 10. Logistic regression identified significant predictors: younger age, having primary or secondary education for physical violence, being single and having higher education for emotional violence, younger age, and having secondary education for economic and younger age for mixed violence. Most victims (88%) did not report incidents to legal authorities. Conclusion: VAW is highly prevalent, underreported, and strongly linked to sociodemographic factors. The findings emphasize the need for preventive strategies, legal enforcement, and support through Safe Woman Clinics to reduce its burden and protect women’s rights. |
