Violence against Women and Reproductive Health

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Violence against Women and Reproductive Health

• Shiv Chandra Mathur
• Professor of Preventive and
  Social Medicine.
• Director, State Institute of Health and Family
  Welfare, Rajasthan, Jaipur, India

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Gender Perspective in Health

• Individual Health and Well being of both Male and
  Female is integral to development.
• Right to Health is a basic human right.
• Gender inequality and health care are
  inter-related.

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What is Violence against Women

• Any act of gender-based violence that results in,
  or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or
  mental harm or suffering to women, including
  threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary
  deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in
  private or public life.
• As defined by United Nations

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Significance of Violence against Women

• Unequal status of women in society
• Serious violation of human rights
• Leads to range of health problems (Often in
  silence)
• Pressure on medical care resources
• Health care institutions can make significant
  contributions to addressing violence against
  women by supporting clinicians and clients.

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Various forms of Violence against Women

• Rape/Sexual Violence in Refugee camps
• Forced sexual initiation or abuse
• Sex-selective abortion
• Acid throwing/honor killing (dowry related
  deaths)
• Undue virginity examination
• Forced caesarian section deliveries
• Trafficking in women and Girls

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Violence against Women Health Issues

• Fatal outcome Suicide / Homicide
• Non-fatal outcome
• Physical - Injury, PID, Unwanted Pregnancy,
  Miscarriage, Gynaec diseases
• Mental - Depression, Anxiety, Sexual
  dysfunction, personality disorders.

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Factors contributing to Violence against Women

• Strictly enforced Gender roles
• Association of masculinity with toughness and
  dominance
• Punishment of women and children as an accepted
  value
• Violence accepted as a standard way to resolve
  conflicts
• Stress associated with poverty

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Landmark events to resolve
Violence against Women

• 1987 Safe Motherhood
• 1993 World Conference on Human Rights
• 1994 IPD, Cairo
• 1995 4th World Conference on Women
• 1996 World Health Assembly
• 1997 FIGO Resolutions
• 2001 Special session of UN General Assembly on
  HIV/AIDS

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Empowering Women to prevent VAW by
Informing/Educating her

• On provision of penalties against different types
  of crimes.
• On Police agencies and their working.
• On scientific steps in crime investigations.
• On functioning of Judiciary.
• On fundamental rights and duties.
• On security measures.

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NGOs Working on VAW

• International
• ARROW, Kualalampar (http//www.asiaconnect.com.my/
  arrow)
• Coordination of Womens Advocacy, Switzerland
  (E-mail cwwa_at_iprolink.ch)
• Health and Development Policy Project,, Maryland,
  USA (E-mail hdpp_at_ig.ap.org)
• Isis-Womens International Cross Cultural
  Exchange, Uganda
  
  (E-mail isis_at_starom.co.ug)

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NGOs Working on VAW cont

• International
• Latin American and Caribbean Womens Network
  against Domestic and Sexual Violence, Chile
  (E-mail isis_at_reuna.cl)
• Match International Centre, Canada
  (E-mail mathint_at_web.apc.org)
• Women in Law and Development, Africa, Zimbabwe
• National
• Chetna(Ahmedabad) Shakti (Jaipur)