Gender-based violence (GBV) comprises acts of cruelty and maltreatment directed against a person due to their sex or gender status by inflicting harm (sexual, emotional, physical), threats and deprivations of liberty (1,2). GBV doesn’t have boundaries thus it affects all people but girls and women are more victims of GBV forms compares to men (3,4). Gender-based violence (GBV), which is an expression of gender inequality and toxic masculinity (González & Rodríguez-Planas, 2020) is a public health problem that is present in all societies at different degrees of prevalence and severity (1) but occurrences of gender-based violence are highly reported in low-middle income countries and in those countries with high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (5).

Several manifestations of gender based violence exist such as intimate partner violence (IPV), domestic violence, femicides and honor killings, female genital mutilation (FGM), child early and forced marriage and online or technology facilitated violence (6). The acts of gender based violence can be perpetrated as physical, sexual, psychological or economically by manifesting control over a person’s mobility and agency (6–9). Countries are responsible to ensure the fulfillment of SDG 5 by ensuring that communities especially vulnerable groups like women have access to inclusive comprehensive GBV prevention and response services in healthcare facilities by ensuring the operationalization of the four basic referral pathways for all survivors which are psychosocial, legal, safety and medical (2,10).

Globally, approximately 736 million women equivalent to one in three or 30% aged 15 and older are exposed to various forms of gender based violence especially physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both at least once in their lifetime (8,9,11–13). Roughly, the prevalence of GBV among men is 1 in 9 men with unwanted sexual contact ranking in their lives (14). GBV contributes to adverse impacts in economic development of many countries that have weak protective laws against gender-based violence, countries with wealth stemming from natural resource, in countries where decision making potential is limited and during economic and natural disaster crisis such as COVID-19 (15).

South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are the regions with high prevalence of GBV whereby it is estimated that more than 30% of women of reproductive age experience gender based violence in their lifetime such as IPV (12). Among teenagers, IPV is a most common form of GBV whereby 1 in 5 of teenagers are experiencing IPV with those aged 15 to 19 being three times more likely than women over 45 to face IPV (3,12,16,17). The prevalence of gender-based violence in sub-Saharan Africa ranges from 11.6% to 75.6% due to paucity and sensitivity of the issue in the region as it is deeply rooted in social structures (3,5). Socio-demographic factors, individual factors, family factors, spouse’s/partner’s habit, and experience in the past plays a key role in the existence of GBV in the region (3). In East Africa, women’s experiences of sexual violence are twice than men, whereby physical violence is more pervasive than sexual violence at 50% in Burundi, 44% in Tanzania, 35% in Rwanda and 14% in Kenya of women aged 15-49 (18).

In Tanzania, GBV prevalence is pervasive whereby 40% of all women of reproductive age have experienced physical violence and 17% have experienced sexual violence (19–21). In realization of the significant detrimental impacts of GBV in Tanzania, the government has increasingly adopting national policies and programs to integrate GBV services into existing public sector health services (22). According to reports by CAG, LHRC, TDHS 2022 and One Plan III, most acts of GBV are physical and sexual violence (rape and sodomy) with leading regions being Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Tanga, Katavi, Shinyanga, Mwanza, Morogoro, Mara, Kagera and Mbeya (19,21,23,24). Majority of GBV perpetrators are husbands/intimate partners (81%), relatives (26%), family friends (23%), strangers (22%) former husband/intimate partner (18%) (19). Power is highly associated with GBV acts in Tanzania as perpetrators are often bearing real or perceived power, decision making, or authority which they use to exercise control over their survivors (25) which subjects them into difficulty in getting help (26).

The global community and countries are committed into ensuring fulfillment of international, regional and national agreements to achieve gender equality and ending violence such as 2030 Agenda SDG 3 & 5 (10) and the National Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children (27). However, despite realization of the GBV as a public health problem, there is a gap in the quality of healthcare services for GBV survivors surrounded with variation in service delivery and lacking of data on GBV services in healthcare settings in the country (5). Most of GBV survivors seek health care services at primary level health facilities, but they experience challenges such as not receiving proper GBV services, delay in accessing or incomplete health care services (28). But also, other challenges are faced by healthcare workers and are not paid attention such as issues related to disclosure, exemption and policy gaps which affects the quality of GBV survivor’s services and health-seeking behavior (29).This leads to a question whether the hospital GBV services and programs meet clients’ needs and if they are available and ready (30).

Gaining familiarity about GBV service delivery is vital for program managers, policy makers and healthcare providers to tailor interventions that will improve the quality of healthcare service delivery and play part in combating various outcomes of GBV such as HIV/AIDS (5,18). But also, understanding the health-seeking behavior and challenges associated with access and provision of GBV survivor’s services is crucial in understanding the gap in the clients’ point of view and the community, their needs for the GBV survivor’s services and enhancing client-healthcare provider relationship.