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Despite the high rates of rape and sexual abuse, the vast majority of victims do not seek help from anyone.145 Of those who do seek help, the vast majority turns to their family, but refrains from seeking legal remedies or from getting in touch with social or medical services. 146 The low help-seeking behavior rate is largely due to the absence of accessible and effective help services, as will be detailed further below. It can also be explained by the societal acceptance of violence against women in general and domestic violence in particular. While the 2008 DHS results show that acceptance of domestic violence, including marital rape, is declining, almost 40% of married women still think that a man is sometimes justified in beating his wife.147 Alarmingly, the youngest respondents (age 15-19) are the most likely to believe that a husband is justified in beating his wife. The acceptance of marital sexual violence is even more entrenched as a vast majority of women believe that they have no right to refuse sexual intercourse with their husband.148 This highlights the urgent need for awareness-raising campaigns among the young generation.
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