Beyond Title IX and Sex-for-Marks: A Critical Review of Gender-Based Violence Scholarship in U.S. and African Higher Education

While prolific research exists on campus gender-based violence (GBV), less focuses on theoretical frameworks that shape how the problem is understood and what forms of institutional response are possible. Guided by PRISMA 2020 procedures, this systematic review synthesized 52 peer-reviewed studies, between 2020 and 2025, on GBV in higher education in the United States, Nigeria, and South Africa. Findings reveal that most studies approach GBV through behavioral, psychological, or compliance-oriented frameworks, with limited research that engaged intersectional, decolonial, or African feminist perspectives. Where these frameworks are used, they illuminated dimensions of power, colonial legacies, institutional culture, and the uneven experiences of minoritized students that dominant approaches often overlook. The review also found a striking convergence across contexts: despite significant differences in policy environments, universities in both the United States and Nigeria exhibit similar patterns of underreporting, institutional mistrust, reputation management, and limited accountability. Overall, findings underscore that the marginalization of feminist theory is a research limitation that constrains how campus GBV is understood and addressed across diverse contexts. By bringing U.S. and African scholarship into conversation, this review demonstrates how theory shapes knowledge production, institutional accountability, and the possibilities for transformative responses to GBV in higher education.