By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

MARRIED Bahamian women are more likely to experience non-consensual sexual intercourse than their single counterparts, according to University of the Bahamas researchers.

A UB press statement yesterday said: “Married women who disclosed being victims of non-consensual sexual intercourse with their husbands were also more likely to have suffered physical harm at the hands of their partners compared to those who had not experienced such abuse.”

The study by Dr Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, William Fielding and Virginia C Ballance involved data from 464 married and 1,264 single women in intimate relationships with men.

The research comes as the Davis administration considers amending the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Act to establish marital rape as a crime –– a divisive, emotionally-charged topic in The Bahamas.

The study, which has not been publicly released, is expected to be published in the next edition of the International Journal of Bahamian Studies.

The research reportedly found higher psychological abuse among married women than unmarried women.

“In essence, the results pointed to concerning behaviours perpetrated by men against their female intimate partners, both in and outside of marriage,” UB said.

“This research,” according to Mr Fielding, “is pivotal in furthering our understanding of gender-based violence and provides critical insight to inform discussions on the occurrence of so-called ‘marital rape’ and its profound affects on women.”

“It is too easy to view rape or non-consensual sexual intercourse as being short-term events without appreciating the long-term detrimental consequences on the psychological health of survivors,” added Ms Ballance. “Obtaining an estimate as to the number of women who are abused through unwanted sexual intercourse, particularly married women, highlights the need to ensure that all women are equally protected by the law, irrespective of their marital status.”

 The study is called “In The Bahamas ‘She must give it up’: Sexual Abuse of Women in Heterosexual Relationships by their Intimate Partners.”