A scoping review of gender-based violence prevention and management strategies implemented within public higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global issue that affects women negatively, including in higher education. The scourge of GBV has been highlighted in numerous studies, and statistics have shown that, instead of decreasing, the incidence thereof is rising. We conducted a scoping review to critically examine existing research on GBV, aiming to gain a comprehensive understanding of its manifestations and strategies for prevention and management within public higher education institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. A comprehensive search was conducted for research on GBV in higher education research published between 2014 and 2024. Literature searches across multiple electronic databases, including Academic Search Ultimate, Africa-Wide Information, Business Source Ultimate, CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Education Source, Global Health, Google Scholar, JSTOR, MEDLINE, Nursing Academic Edition, Sabinet, ScienceDirect, and Scopus. Search terms were gender-based violence, violence, prevention, management, control, mitigation, strategies, interventions, tertiary institutions, and a range of terms referring to educational settings such as educational institutions, tertiary institutions, universities, higher education institutions, institutions of higher learning, post-secondary institutions, and college. A thematic analysis of 20 eligible research articles identified three themes: the prevalence and nature of GBV in higher education institutions, strategies and campaigns implemented by universities, and gaps and barriers in. gender-based violence intervention efforts. In conclusion, to strengthen policy implementation and enforcement, universities should not only develop GBV policies but also ensure their effective operationalisation. Future research should place greater emphasis on examining GBV in distance education contexts and among staff, as these groups remain underrepresented in the existing literature.