To describe the differences between clients presenting after rape and clients who have consented to sex as a minor to an SGBV clinic in Harare, Zimbabwe, and how these differences affect their care requirements.
Adolescents and adults presenting at the specialized Sexual and Gender Based Violence clinic in Harare are offered a standardised package of free medical and psychosocial care. STI treatment, emergency contraceptive pills, referral for termination of pregnancy, psychological, social and legal support is also provided.
This is a retrospective descriptive study of routine programmatic data collected at the Edith Opperman polyclinic in Mbare SGBV clinic from to Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to describe the different experiences and the differences in uptake of care between clients presenting for rape compared to those who consented to sex as a minor.
During the study period a total of clients presented to the clinic. The experiences of those who consent to sex as a minor and those that have experienced forced sex were very different. The standardised SGBV medical response does not fully meet the needs to protect minors who have consented to sex from HIV or unwanted pregnancies.
Clients who present for having consented to sex as a minor might benefit more from being offered long-term family planning or being assessed as a sero-discordant couple rather than simply PEP and ECP as is relevant for clients who have been raped. More provision of health care is needed for minors to ensure they have access to enough information and protection from HIV, other STIs and unwanted pregnancy, before they decide to engage in sexual intercourse, rather than as an emergency at an SGBV clinic.
