Solomon Abebe

Mental Distress and Sexual Violence Among Refugees at Sherkole Camp: Mental Health Perspective Solomon Abebe

The study assesses the prevalence of mental distress and sexual violence among refugees at Sherkole Camp. It also investigates the causes, consequences, and phases of sexual violence. Furthermore, the study examines the prevalence of mental distress and sexual violence across age, sex and country of origin. The prevalence of mental distress among refugees was found to be 44%. About 56.97% of the respondents surveyed in the study had thoughts of ending their life in the past 30 days. The prevalence of sexual violence among refugees was found to be 52.38%. In general, according to the findings of the study, the majority of the refugees at Sherkole encountered mental distress (44%) and experienced sexual violence (52.38). Long distance between tap water and shelter, intoxication and lack of awareness were among reported causes of sexual violence. Unwanted pregnancy, gynecological complications, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), mental illness and suicidal feeling were found to be major consequences of sexual violence.