TITLE:
A Review of Health Systems Capacity in the Quality Management of Gender Base Violence Including Highlights in Crisis from a Feminist Perspective
AUTHORS:
Tihnje Abena Mbah, Ajeh Rogers, Nguetti Joseph Honoré Honoré
KEYWORDS:
Health System, Gender-Based Violence, Response, Crisis, Wars
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.12 No.8,
August
29,
2024
ABSTRACT: In the lifetime of women and girls, 1 in 3 women experience gender-based violence (GBV). About 35% of women experience intimate partner violence either from an intimate or non-intimate partner. Although both women and men could be survivors of GBV, women are more vulnerable to violence due to factors related to patriarchal customs, cultures and financial resources. Resulting in a higher prevalence of violence against women. The healthcare system plays an essential role in ensuring the quality management of GBV as it is often if not only the first point of contact of survivors. This is the reason why governing bodies such as the World Health Organization have developed a multisector response to GBV victims within the health system. The multisector response supports other services such as psychosocial support, social services, legal aid, shelter/housing services or livelihood support. From literature, there are procedures outlined for each sector to ensure the quality management of GBV survivors. Reviews show that High Income Countries (HIC) are more advanced in scaling up guidelines for quality response to GBV as compared to Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC). Whereas these guidelines have been adopted by many LMIC. The LMIC’s that are advanced in responding to quality management of GBV often benefit of support from national funds and international donors. Models such as “One Stop Centers” have been set up at health facilities of some LMIC’s to ensure multisector response at a single site with limited referrals. Shortcomings in the response to GBV in LMIC’s consist of limited number of providers trained at health facilities, focus is most often only on sexual forms of violence, high staff turnover at facilities, insufficient documentation and cultural interference. The prevalence of violence against women in situations of crisis such as the COVID-19 and Ebola pandemics and conflict of wars increases. The surge in violence during pandemics is promoted by laws of quarantines and lockdown. Quality management of GBV in situations of pandemics uses the multisector approach often starting with health care as the first point of contact. During pandemics, the community is implicated to help identify survivors and report. There is also extensive use of online and telephone service. The most common form of violence in the context of war is rape/sexual violence. Managing GBV survivors that result from wars remains a challenge due to under reporting of cases and services are not sort for by survivors. Health care professionals, epidemiologists and surveyors working in war areas are in position to take action to recognize, identify and address GBV towards women.