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Call for papers - Advances in sexual and gender-based violence prevention at institutions of higher education

Guest Editors:
Mercilene Machisa: South African Medical Research Council's Gender & Health Research Unit, South Africa
Jennifer Wagman: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, United States

Submission Status: Open   |   Submission Deadline: 20 December 2024


BMC Global and Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection of manuscripts of outstanding interest, including empirical research, comment, opinion, and review articles, covering the breadth of multidisciplinary studies, ranging from qualitative and quantitative, observational and epidemiological to intervention and evaluation studies. Theoretical and policy papers are welcome, as are reviews and practice-based learning manuscripts. Submissions should focus on understanding, preventing, improving responses to, and strengthening the field of research on sexual and gender-based violence on IHE campuses worldwide, including closing the research gap for LMICs. We envision this work will inform future research, prevention frameworks, intervention development, and policy and promote donor involvement in this field. 

Meet the Guest Editors

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Mercilene Machisa: South African Medical Research Council's Gender & Health Research Unit, South Africa

Mercilene Machisa is a South African National Research Foundation-rated young scientist and emerging research leader in violence against women and children (VAWC). An epidemiologist and biostatistician by training, she led large VAW surveys and mixed methods studies in Southern Africa. Her research focuses on the measurement and epidemiology of intimate partner violence and rape, including deepening understanding of the intersections with mental health, evaluating the South African health sector and criminal justice responses to sexual violence, developing and evaluating campus-based sexual violence interventions in South African Higher Education Institutions, and exploring the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on VAWC and healthcare workers.

Jennifer Wagman: UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, United States

Jennifer Wagman is a social epidemiologist who has worked in global public health for 25 years. She is an Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and her research focuses on preventing intimate partner violence and promoting sexual and reproductive health. Since 2018, she has served as the Research Director for the Global College Campus Violence Prevention (GCVP) Network, an initiative of the UC Global Health Institute's Center for Gender and Health Justice.

About the collection

BMC Global and Public Health is calling for submissions to our Collection on advances in sexual and gender-based violence prevention at institutions of higher education.

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global public health problem. Among women 15 years and older, it is estimated that 30% have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV), and close to 10% have experienced non-partner sexual violence at some point in their lives. The risk for sexual violence and sexual harassment (SVSH) is highest between the ages of 18 and 24 when many young adults are studying at institutions of higher education (IHE). Evidence from IHEs in high-income countries suggests that 20% of female and 6% of male students experience sexual violence at some point during their enrollment. However, limited research has been done to understand SVSH, IPV, and other forms of sexual misconduct at IHEs in low and middle-income countries. 

To create and implement effective violence-related programs and policies, assessing the scope and context of SVSH, IPV, and other forms of GBV on college and university campuses worldwide is essential. This information is necessary for tailoring response systems (e.g., advocacy offices for survivors) and prevention approaches (e.g., bystander intervention programs) to ensure they are relevant and acceptable to and meet the needs of individuals on campuses across all countries.

To capture global efforts and novel approaches in this multidisciplinary area, BMC Global and Public Health is pleased to announce a call for papers for our upcoming collection entitled 'Advances in sexual and gender-based violence prevention at institutions of higher education,' guest edited by Mercilene Machisa from the South African Medical Research Council's Gender & Health Research Unit and Jennifer Wagman from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. 

We are now inviting the submission of manuscripts of outstanding interest, including empirical research, comment, opinion, and review articles, covering the breadth of multidisciplinary studies, ranging from qualitative and quantitative, observational and epidemiological, to intervention and evaluation studies. Theoretical and policy papers are welcome, as are reviews and practice-based learning manuscripts. Submissions should focus on understanding, preventing, improving responses to, and strengthening the field of research on sexual and gender-based violence on IHE campuses worldwide, including closing the research gap for LMICs. We envision this work will inform future research, prevention frameworks, intervention development, and policy and promote donor involvement in this field. 

We are calling for papers that report on or cover:
●    Prevalence and determinants of different forms of GBV/IPV/SVSH occurring on IHE campuses
●    Impact of GBV/IPV/SVSH on student well-being and academic outcomes
●    Theories of how cultural norms, beliefs, and history shape the understanding and definition of GBV/IPV/SVSH and sexual misconduct on campuses
●    Student, faculty, and staff perceptions and expectations about campus GBV/IPV/SVSH policies
●    Developing, adapting, validating (and implementing) contextually appropriate SVSH campus climate surveys and/or stand-alone SVSH measures.
●    Using evidence to develop context-specific SVSH campus policies and prevention interventions.
●    Assessing the impact, campus community perception, or provider opinion of existing campus-based violence prevention programs or existing services for survivors of violence
●    Best practices and lessons from the implementation of SVSH-focused student leadership, advocacy, engagement, and peer-led programs

We encourage work from local, regional, national, and global partnerships and collaboration among scientists from multidisciplinary fields and using multiple methodologies, specifically focusing on low- and middle-income countries. We ask that authors be attentive to using non-stigmatizing/preferred language in their manuscripts as outlined in relevant language guidelines for their respective fields. 

Image credit: Southworks / Stock.adobe.com

  2. Sexual violence, including childhood sexual abuse and adolescent/adult sexual assault, is a major public health concern, especially for college women. Sexual violence is associated with numerous negative conse...

    Authors: Prachi H. Bhuptani, Elizabeth Mayer, Georgia Chan and Lindsay M. Orchowski
    Citation: BMC Global and Public Health 2024 2:29
    Content type: Systematic Review Published on:

Submission Guidelines

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This Collection welcomes submission of Research, Comment, Review, and Opinion articles. Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have read our submission guidelines. 

Articles for this Collection should be submitted via our submission system, Snapp. During the submission process you will be asked whether you are submitting to a Collection, please select "Advances in sexual and gender-based violence prevention at institutions of higher education" from the dropdown menu. If you have questions about the suitability of a manuscript for consideration, please email bmcglobalpublichealth@biomedcentral.com.

All articles submitted to Collections are peer reviewed in line with the journal’s standard peer review policy and are subject to all of the journal’s standard editorial and publishing policies. This includes the journal’s policy on competing interests. 

The Guest Editors have no competing interests with the submissions which they handle through the peer review process. The peer review of any submissions for which the Guest Editors have competing interests is handled by another Editor or Editorial Board Member who has no competing interests.