7 / 23
Page 15
allied
academies
Asian Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences | Volume 8
March 26-27, 2018 | Orlando, USA
World Summit on
Healthcare & Hospital Management
&
International Conference & Exhibition on
Biologics and Biosimilars
D
omestic violence (DV) is a global issue and a serious
public health problem, affecting women of different
cultures and regions across the world. Evidence suggests
that there is a close association between DV and women’s
health. In India, approximately 37% women are assaulted
by their husband and family. More than 30% of women
worldwide have experienced either or both physical and
sexual violence. Although the healthcare system is often the
first point of contact for victims for treatment, support and
care for injuries and other health problems; women who are
experiencingor haveexperienced violencemakehigher useof
health-care services still there is an inadequacy of healthcare
response towards them. The Sustainable Development
Goals (SDG) place an important thrust on the prevention of
violence against women and girls. SDGs offer an opportunity
to achieve the commitments on the prevention of violence
against women and girls. This is the first time that a global
development agenda has addressed all forms of violence
against women and girls, as well as violence against children.
However, there is global and national challenges as in several
countries to create integrated response to addresses the
legal systems, customary laws and societal norms that foster
systematic discrimination against women, poor translation
of action plan into practice and implementation and in some
countries the health systems are not experienced (equipped)
to tackle the problem of violence with health promotion
perspective. Therefore, an integrated system approach
for intervention is needed to promote collective response.
The paper aims to propose a suitable model for prevention
of domestic violence based on the existing intervention
programmes and empirical research. Observations and
evidences based on existing intervention projects analyzed
with reference to existing literature and described as to how
they have been applied in various settings with different
population groups to bring the most viable solution for
reducing the prevalence and the harmful consequences of
domestic violence. The proposed Five “R” integrated model
is developed that health sector can adopt and respond to
domestic violence which has five nodes or phenomena.
These are rescue, recovery, rehabilitate, resilience and
reform. All these five phenomena are conceptually defined
and substantiated by an example and learnings from the
initiative. India is trying implementation of such model that
improves effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of the
State and the society by promoting community-led initiatives.
The proposed operational paradigm also elaborates the
role of healthcare providers at the institutional level and
at community level. These models ultimately suggest
importance of understanding collaborative and convergence
between social networks, community cohesion and the
state. In addition, it suggests that community resources,
cultural actions and low-budget interventions prove to
postulate for a sustainable change. It suggests that specific
indicators on violence against women should be included in
health information and surveillance systems to monitor the
progress in achieving SDG. Education and Capacity Building
of Health Professionals, implementation of guidelines and
protocols for routine screening, assessment of dangerous
level, safety planning and documentation along with the
health-care providers’ attitudes towards DV and towards
survivors is required for responding to intimate partner
violence and sexual violence against women. Advocacy and
political will is important to ensure that the health sector
plays its role in addressing violence against women.
Speaker Biography
Meerambika Mahapatro is a Social Epidemiologist who is interested in understanding
the influence of social contextual determinants, especially policy determinants on
health, particularly among vulnerable populations (i.e., women and children with
abuse). She is also interested in the methodologies involved in social-behavioral
interventions to promote healthy behavioral changes and enhance community well-
being. Her research interests include health policies and standard guideline practice
related to gender abuse/violence, sexual violence and mental health. She has been
the Principal Investigator of various research projects and received grants from WHO,
ICMR, NIHFW, MOHFW, and Uttarakhand State govt.
e:
meerambika.mahapatro@gmail.comMeerambika Mahapatro
National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, India
Domestic violence, women’s health and the sustainable development goals: Global
target, national response and future directions