ArticleArchives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique2026
Barriers to healthcare and justice for sexual and gender-based violence survivors in Sierra Leone: A gender-integrated socio-ecological analysis.
Article in Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a threat to women and girls' health and justice globally, and is widely prevalent in Sierra Leone. This study identifies key barriers to high-quality healthcare and justice for SGBV survivors in Sierra Leone using a gender-integrated socio-ecological model.
methodsIn this qualitative study, purposive sampling was performed with maximum variation by sector and region. From December 2023 to February 2024, Sierra Leonean and international researchers conducted semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with health, legal, law enforcement, and government officials across Sierra Leone. Data analysis employed a hybrid thematic approach using a gender-integrated socio-ecological model (GI-SEM) framework while remaining open to emerging themes. Analysis was completed between August 2024-March 2025.
resultsAcross five sites in Sierra Leone, a total of 31 multidisciplinary staff participants were included through semi-structured individual (n=17) and focus group interviews (n=6), including healthcare providers (n=15; 48.4%), law enforcement officers (n=9; 29.0%), government officials (n=5; 16.1%), and legal professionals (n=2; 6.5%). At the individual level, perceived barriers included system fatigue, internalized stigma, and secondary trauma. Interpersonal barriers included power imbalances in provider interactions and coercion by survivor networks. Organizational barriers consisted of service accessibility gaps, operational inefficiencies, and resource constraints. Community-level barriers involved religious interference and insufficient prevention engagement. At the societal level, financial constraints, legal framework gaps, and stigmatizing attitudes further impeded access to care and justice.
conclusionDespite ongoing efforts, SGBV survivors in Sierra Leone face persistent challenges accessing care and justice. These findings highlight critical intervention points across multiple levels to strengthen response systems.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.