Violence against women (VAW), in its various forms, is endemic in all communities and countries around the world, irrespective of age, religion and national boundaries. To strengthen health sector’s response to VAW, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India has joined hands with the WHO Country Office for India. A national consultation on the role of the health sector in responding to violence against women was organized on 19-20 March 2014 in New Delhi to take forward this agenda.
Speaking at the multi-speaker consultation, Dr Nata Menabde, WHO Representative to India, highlighted, “Variations in prevalence of violence against women suggest that it can be prevented and if it is not, this is injustice.”
VAW in general and sexual violence in particular is not only widespread but has also been widely recognized as an important public health issue. The health sector has a critical role in treating and caring for survivors and for collection of relevant forensic and medical evidence. Through sustained efforts and advocacy, VAW, including domestic violence has begun to receive substantial attention nationally and internationally. The need of the hour is to ensure quality health services to the survivors of sexual violence.
The specific objectives of the national consultation were:
- To create awareness among the health professionals and other stakeholders about the complexity of sexual violence
- To develop an understanding of the national protocols and guidelines developed by the MoHFW for ensuring comprehensive response to sexual assault survivors
- Understanding legal and ethical responsibilities of healthcare providers and health facilities
- To generate focused discussions on the psycho-social support for sexual assault victims
The outcomes of this consultation are targeted at putting national and international guidelines into practice at state level. It was also suggested that the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare should integrate guidelines into the existing health systems, and the states further ensure compliance of these guidelines by the private sector and all the state health facilities.
The United Nations Declaration on the elimination of violence against women (1993) includes “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.”