On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, PAHO/WHO calls for a stronger health sector response
Unintended
pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and miscarriages are more
frequent among women who report having experienced violence at any
point in their lives, studies from multiple countries around the world
show.
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,
observed each year on November 25, the Pan American Health
Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is calling for the
health sector—especially sexual and reproductive health services—to be
involved in efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women.
"This is a major problem with many health implications," said Dr.
Carissa F. Etienne, PAHO’s Director. "The health sector has a role to
play in both prevention and response."
Violence against women continues to be a serious public health problem
in the Americas, where one in three women experiences physical or sexual
violence by a partner or sexual violence by a non-partner during their
lifetime, and 20% of women report being sexually abused as children.
Young women aged 15-19 years are most at risk of suffering physical or
sexual partner violence, with many reporting their first sexual
encounter as unwanted or forced.
This violence not only results in physical injury or death but also has
an under-recognized impact on women’s reproductive health, leading to
more complications of pregnancy, unwanted pregnancy, miscarriage and
sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV. In some countries
in the Americas, levels of unwanted pregnancy are two to three times
higher among women who report partner violence compared with women who
do not. Pregnancy loss is twice as high among women who report
experiencing violence, and the risk of premature labor is 1.6 times
greater.
Studies have also found violence to be a significant cause of maternal
mortality. Partner violence was the main cause of maternal
death—responsible for 20% of such deaths— in three U.S. cities during
1993-1998. Hemorrhage was found to be three times more common in
pregnant women suffering violence in one province in Canada in 2003.
Between 3% and 44% of pregnant women in Latin America and Caribbean
report experiencing partner violence during pregnancy.
The role of health sector should include collecting data on violence
prevalence that can be used to inform policy and programming, while
training personnel to provide comprehensive, non-judgmental care for
survivors of domestic violence. Healthcare workers should also refer
survivors to legal servicesand social support. Public health strategies
should include efforts to change social norms and behaviors that are
linked to violence.
Additionally, in the case of women who experience sexual assault, health
services should asses their need for HIV or STI prophylaxis, make
emergency contraception available, offer safe abortion in accordance
with national law (when a woman accesses health services too late for
emergency contraception or if emergency contraception fails), and
provide mental health support.
In recognition of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence
against Women, and as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender
Violence that follow, PAHO/WHO will be participating in the following
events that are open to the public:
-
Violence against women and reproductive rights in the Americas: Progress and persistent challenges.
December 2, 2014, 2:30-5:30 p.m. Organization of American States, Ruben Dario Room, 1889 F St. N.W., Washington D.C. Livestream: http://www.oas.org/en/media_
center/webcast_schedule.asp
-
U.S. Launch of a special issue of
The Lancet dedicated to violence against women and girls.
December 3, 2014, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. Jack Morton Auditorium, George Washington University, 805 21st St. N.W., Washington D.C.
-
Setting the Stage: Asking Women about Violence and Responding Within Health Settings.
December 4, 2014, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Care International, 1825 I St. N.W., Washington, D.C. Livestream: www.livestream.com/paho
In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly designated Nov. 25 as
the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women,
which also marks the start of 16 Days of Activism that will culminate on
Dec. 10, Human Rights Day.
PAHO, founded in 1902, is the oldest international public health
organization in the world. It works with its member countries to improve
the health and the quality of life of the people of the Americas. It
serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of WHO and is part of the
Inter-American system.
By the numbers
Proportion of women who report ever experiencing physical or sexual partner violence
*:
-
Bolivia (2003): 53.3%
-
Colombia (2005): 39.7%
-
Peru (2007-08): 39.5%
-
Ecuador (2004): 32.4%
-
Nicaragua (2006-07): 29.3%
-
Guatemala (2008-09): 27.6%
-
El Salvador (2008): 26.3%
-
Paraguay (2008): 20.4%
-
Jamaica (2008-09): 19.6%
-
Haiti (2005-06): 19.3%
-
Dominican Republic (2007): 17%
Reported prevalence of partner violence during pregnancy
*:
-
Peru (2007-08): 11.3%
-
Colombia (2005): 9.7%
-
Dominican Republic (2007): 6.6%
-
Haiti (2005-06): 5.6%
Proportion of women who reported losing a pregnancy as a result of partner violence
*:
-
Bolivia (2003): 3.3%
-
Colombia (2005): 1.7%
*
Source: National demographic, health, and reproductive health surveys. See
Violence Against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Analysis of Population-Based Data from 12 Countries
LINKS:
Violence against women website:
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.
php?option=com_content&view=
category&layout=blog&id=1505&
Itemid=1519&lang=en
Responding to intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women: WHO clinical and policy guidelines: http://www.who.int/iris/
bitstream/10665/85240/1/
9789241548595_eng.pdf?ua=1
Information on events during 16 Days of Activism:
http://www.paho.org/hq/index.
php?option=com_content&view=
article&id=10192%
3Ainternational-day-for-the-
elimination-of-violence-
against-women-2014&catid=4717%
3Afgl-news&Itemid=39620&lang=
en