Prevalence and associated factors of violence against women among undergraduate female students in Pokhara metropolitan, Nepal: A cross-sectional study

Background: Violence against women is a public health concern, affecting the well-being of women, children, and families worldwide. Despite young girls facing significant risks, research on this issue in Nepal remains limited. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of violence against women among female undergraduate students in Pokhara, Nepal. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 undergraduate colleges involving 325 female students, selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire, including the WHO-approved Gender-based Violence assessment tool, and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: A study of female undergraduate students, with mean age (±SD) of 20.23 ± 1.45 years, found that the majority of them were Brahmin/Chhetri which is regarded as an upper-caste group and more than half (60%) lived with their family. Nearly three-quarters (74.2%) of the students had experienced some form of violence, with psychological violence being the most common (52.3%), followed by sexual (43.4%) and physical violence (21.2%). Intimate partner violence was reported by 36.6% of participants having partners, while 68.5% experienced non-partner violence. Students in their 3rd and 4th years were three times more likely to experience violence (AOR = 3.867; 95% CI 1.55-9.68, p<0.01). Witnessing physical violence against their mothers increased the likelihood of experiencing violence (AOR = 8.198; 95% CI 2.397-28.033, p<0.01) on themselves including intimate-partner (COR= 4.471; 95% CI 1.656 – 12.072, p<0.01), and Sexual violence ( AOR=4.883; 95% CI 2.342-10.183, p<0.001) Conclusion: The study highlights the urgent need for targeted interventions to address and prevent violence against women among young female students in Nepal.