Prevalence and Nature of Sexual Assault among Female Students in a Tertiary Institution in Maiduguri, Nigeria – A Cross Sectional Study

Purpose: Sexual assault is a violent crime against both the individual and society but is largely underreported. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and nature of sexual assault among female students in the University of Maiduguri. Methods: A crossectional descriptive study using a close ended, self –administered questionnaire administered to female students of a tertiary institution in Maiduguri was used to survey 400 female students in University of Maiduguri. Results: Most of the respondents were single 349 (87.3%) and in the age range of 20-24 {202 (50.5%)}. 205 (51.3%) of them reported to have been sexually assaulted. In 154 (87.2%) of the cases, the respondents had a close relationship with the assailant. The commonest location of the assault was in a party 101 (49.3%), which was followed by classroom 45 (22%). Most of the sexual assault reported (57.6%) occurred in the evenings and nights. In 35.6% of the cases, the respondents sustained extra-genital trauma, while others had psychological (24.9%) and genital trauma (15.6%). Conclusion: Sexual assault rate among female students in the University of Maiduguri is high and is associated with physical and psychological traumas.Keywords: Sexual assault, Physical trauma, Psychological trauma, Maiduguri.