ISSUES
: Domestic Violence
Chapter 1: Domestic violence
11
Health problems
The researchers found a huge
array of health problems have their
root in sexual or physical violence.
Apart from immediate physical
injuries, women can also encounter
significant problems including
mental health issues, alcohol abuse
and in women who were pregnant,
children with low birth weight.
Professor Charlotte Watts, from
the LSHTM and a co-author of the
report, said the report highlighted
the high global levels of violence
that happen across the globe.
“We need to take this issue more
seriously; it affects women in all
parts of the world,” said Watts.
The prevalence of the problem
is likely to shock, but the wider
health implications are an even
greater cause for concern. Women
who experience partner violence
typically have less control over sex
and their sexual health, including
the use of condoms, according
to the report. As a consequence,
these women are up to 1.5 times
more likely to contract HIV.
Female victims of partner abuse
are also twice as likely to have
an abortion. Half of abortions
worldwide are thought to take place
in unsafe conditions, according to
the study, placing these women at
even higher risk of injury or death.
Victims of violence are also twice
as likely to suffer depression and
this figure is even higher for women
who experience sexual assault
from non-partners; they are more
than twice as likely to become
depressed and to have problems
with alcohol abuse.
But the link between alcohol and
violence is complicated. Women
could be turning to alcohol as
a coping mechanism, but their
drinking could also lead to an
abusive reaction from their partners,
the researchers said.
Better education,
employment and legal
status
The researchers suggest that the
numbers in the report are likely to
be conservative and the true size of
the problem still hidden by a lack of
data and missing information. For
example, a women might report
health problems but not say how
she was injured.
“We really need to be tackling
some of the social and economic
conditions that help violence
to thrive,” said Watts. This
includes access to education and
employment, economic and legal
equality and social norms regarding
acceptable behaviour towards
women are all tied to the levels of
violence that women experience.
Another solution is to provide better
training for health professionals and
better collection of information which
can be used by policy makers. The
report recommends that post-rape
care needs to alsobemade accessible
to victims through health providers
within 72 hours of the attack.
Polly Neate, Chief Executive of
Womens’ Aid, a UK domestic violence
charity, said: “Doctors need to be
aware of domestic violence, able to
spot it, identify it, and act on it, but
too often they lack the confidence or
training to take this action.
“One of the important conclusions
from this work is that we need to step
up action by the health sector,” Watts
said. She added: “Training on violence
should be included in the medical
training curriculum.”
Dr Heidi Stöckl, lead author of
The Lancet
paper, said: “Our
results underscore that women are
disproportionately vulnerable to
violence and murder by an intimate
partner, and their needs have been
neglected for far too long. Such
homicides are often the ultimate
outcome of a failed societal, health
and criminal justice response to
intimate partner violence.”
But there are some examples of good
work.Malaysia iscurrentlya forerunner
in the provision of care for female
victims of sexual and physical assault,
said Watts. “Across the country there
is a national policy to make accident
and emergency departments one-
stop centres, where women can
access a range of services, including
legal and counselling services.”
20 June 2013
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The above information is
reprinted with kind permission
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