A Qualitative Study of the Medical Student's Perception on Sexual Violence and its Determinants in the Society

Sexual violence against women is a major concern. Perceptions from current medical students could help draw better solutions to alleviate this growing menace in the community. Hence, this study was planned to explore the perceptions of medical college students on sexual violence and its determinants in society.

This exploratory qualitative study was conducted among 39 medical college students in Bangalore for a period of two months from September to October 2021 after obtaining Institutional Ethics Committee approval. Four focus group discussions were conducted using a focus group discussion guide and all the discussions were audiotaped. Using Microsoft Word, an inductive thematic approach was used for data analysis.

The majority of the participants perceived Sexual violence as "which harms both physically and mentally". Among the various causes quoted, the patriarchal mindset of society was the most common, followed by ignorance and lack of education among women. Students perceived that changing mindset of people and taking personal precautions at the individual level, enforcing women work staff, family and societal changes, changes in the judiciary system, improvement of city infrastructure, and changes in the education system as a solution to overcome it.

To improve women's safety, prevention of sexual violence against women is of utmost importance. A multifactorial approach at the individual level and the level of policymaking is needed to target all the causative factors and ensure a safer society for women.