Background Intimate partner violence (IPV), defined as physical, emotional, or sexual violence against a partner, is an important public health issue globally. However, there is scarce data on intimate partner violence among vunerable youth living in the slums in Kampala, Uganda. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the factors associated with IPV among youth living in a high-risk setting.

Methods Analyses are based on a cross-sectional study conducted in spring of 2014. Participants comprised a convenience sample (N = 1,134) of urban service-seeking youth living on the streets or in the slums, 12–18 years of age who were participating in a Uganda Youth Development Link drop-in centre. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with IPV.

Results Among youth who currently had a boyfriend or girlfriend, 32.5% experienced or initiated IPV. Among those who experienced or initiated IPV, 26.4% forced their partner to have sex with them, 76.3% admitted to physically hurting their partner, and 80.0% stated their partner physically hurt them. Experiencing or initiating IPV was associated with parental drunkenness (AOR 2.00; 95% CI: 1.41–2.83) and observing parental physical violence towards each other (AOR 2.28; 95% CI: 1.54–3.37). IPV was also associated with having any sexually transmitted disease (AOR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.09–2.31) and having suicidal ideations (AOR 2.82; 95% CI: 1.89–4.20).

Conclusions Levels of IPV victimisation and perpetration very high in this population and warrant urgent attention. Risk factors for IPV need to be integrated in services to address the specific social and environmental challenges that these youth are facing.