Is violence against men a problem in Sri Lanka?

Gender-based violence (GBV) among men is a universally present phenomenon that is mostly unacknowledged. The relative lack of research in this area leads to a deficiency of evidence ascribing due recognition to GBV among men. This, in turn, leads to not identifying it as a social problem, hence, poor development of resources for victims as well as poor help-seeking behaviour patterns are prevalent, especially in Southeast Asia.

We aimed to determine the prevalence of GBV among men in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

A descriptive cross-sectional analytical community survey was conducted to explore GBV against 1280 Sinhala-speaking men, selected using a multistage cluster sampling method in Colombo district, Sri Lanka. The GBV among men questionnaire (GBVMQ) was developed and culturally validated. A multiple logistic regression model was developed and nine correlates of GBV were identified and adjusted odds ratios estimated.

The prevalence of GBV was 35.8% (95% CI 33.1 -38.6). The prevalence of Verbal GBV was 34.7% (95% CI 32.1 -37.5). Childhood sexual abuse was 7.6% (95% CI 6.2 -9.2). Being subjected to ridicule as cowardly or unmanly (AOR = 25.3, 95% CI 5.58 -114.7, P<0.0010), Childhood sexual abuse (AOR = 4.4, 95% CI 1.73 -11.09, P = 0.002) showed positive associations with statistical significance.

The results highlight the importance of having services for men as well as women. Enabling inclusiveness of men in mandates of state and private institutions catering for GBV would be a strategy in moving forward for Sri Lanka.