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| LETTER TO EDITOR |
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| Year : 2018 | Volume
: 13
| Issue : 3 | Page : 162 |
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Global prevention and containment of gender-based violence
Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava1, Prateek Saurabh Shrivastava2, Jegadeesh Ramasamy2
1 Department of Community Medicine, Member of the Medical Education Unit and Institute Research Council, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Kancheepuram, Tamil Nadu, India
| Date of Web Publication | 17-Jan-2019 |
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Saurabh RamBihariLal Shrivastava
3rd Floor, Department of Community Medicine, Shri Sathya Sai Medical College and Research Institute, Ammapettai Village, Thiruporur - Guduvancherry Main Road, Sembakkam Post, Kancheepuram - 603 108, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/jdmimsu.jdmimsu_11_16
How to cite this article:
Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J. Global prevention and containment of gender-based violence. J Datta Meghe Inst Med Sci Univ 2018;13:162 |
Sir,
Gender has been recognized as an important factor in determining the access to the health care establishments and also for the treatment seeking behavior.[1] It is a fact that the gender norms is often the outcome of the culture and the local communities in which people live, and thus vary significantly.[1],[2] Furthermore, the problem of gender inequity has persisted for generations together and the differential treatment of men or women is extremely unfair and avoidable.[2] In-fact, women occupies a lower status in the society and are subjected to numerous restrictions in the field of education, health care and welfare measures.[1],[2]
Acknowledging the scope and importance of the need to have gender equality across all settings, the international leaders have repeatedly identified it as one of the important public health goals.[1],[2] The problem of gender-based violence is another public health menace on the global scale and the available estimates clearly suggest that more than 33% of girls and women have been exposed to at least one such incident during their lives.[2] These estimates are quite shocking and are evident from the fact that the government and the policy makers have failed to maintain gender equality and safeguard the fundamental rights of the women.[1],[3]
The epidemiological distribution of this social menace reflects that the problem is extremely common in developing nations and that there is not much of a supporting framework for the victims.[3] It is the need of the hour that all the concerned stakeholders should understand that gender inequality and gender-based violence is not only affecting the physical health of the affected girls and women, but also their mental and social health and the problem cast a long-term impact on them as well as their children who have witnessed such things in their childhood.[3],[4] In-fact, in the absence of any urgent and innovative measures, the consequences of the problem will be difficult to measure in terms of reduced productivity and financial growth of the nation as a whole.[2],[3],[4]
In Namibia, in order to deal with the problem, the stakeholders have joined their hands with the United Nations Population Fund and other technical experts to come out with an online or a mobile application to eventually benefit all the victims of gender-based violence.[5]
A range of provisions has been incorporated in the application and the use of the same has delivered quite encouraging results.[5] At the same time, it is high time that the health sector intensifies their actions through provision of the comprehensive services, including training of the health care personnel to not only help them in the detection of the victims of gender-based violence, but also provide them need-based counseling services.[3],[4] Further, the health sector should play their part in establishing the linkages with the necessary agencies to empower the survivors of the gender-based violence.[2],[4]
In conclusion, the problem of gender inequality and gender-based violence is a social public health menace and essentially requires the support and concerted actions of all the involved stakeholders.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
| References | |  |
| 1. | Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J. Working together to accomplish gender equality in health: World Health Organization. Ann Trop Med Public Health 2016;9:286-7.  [Full text] |
| 2. | |
| 3. | Thomas F. Global rights, local realities: negotiating gender equality and sexual rights in the Caprivi Region, Namibia. Cult Health Sex 2007;9:599-614. |
| 4. | Shrivastava SR, Shrivastava PS, Ramasamy J. Extending care and support to the survivors of gender-based violence in Iraq during humanitarian emergencies. MAMC J Med Sci 2017;3:51-2. [Full text] |
| 5. | |
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