CEHAT - SurvivorsofsexualAssault

Proceedings of the National Course on Comprehensive Health Care Response to Survivors of Sexual Assault from 31st March to 1st April 2012

CEHAT in collaboration with the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Seth GS Medical College & KEM Hospital, Mumbai, organized a national workshop on comprehensive healthcare response to sexual assault survivors. The workshop, held in Mumbai on 31st March and 1st April 2012, received an exceptional response from doctors across Maharashtra. Teams comprising of a gynecologist, forensic medicine specialist, pediatrician and psychiatrist from medical colleges across Maharashtra as well as senior health administrators from other states of India participated.

Led by national experts from the fields of gynecology, forensic medicine, law, and social sciences, the workshop was hugely successful in stimulating discussions vis-à-vis the therapeutic and evidentiary role of doctors in responding to survivors of sexual assault. Various methods such as role plays, film screening, case studies, and facilitated discussions were employed to build perspectives of doctors on sexual violence, and their ethical and legal responsibilities. It is expected that after this training delegates will be able to devise and implement uniform, gender-sensitive protocols for sexual assault survivors in their respective health system.

The inaugural workshop organized by CEHAT in collaboration with Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi in October 2011 was instrumental in guiding and motivating practitioners to adopt evidence-based, gender-sensitive practices. This workshop closely followed this mandate. It received CME accreditation from the Maharashtra Medical Council demonstrating its relevance to in-service training for post-graduate doctors as well as for incorporation into the medical curriculum for undergraduates.

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Proceedings of the National Course on Developing a Comprehensive Health Care Response to Survivors of Sexual Assault from 1st to 2nd October, 2011

CEHAT, in collaboration with Safdarjung Hospital and Sama organized a 2-day National workshop on ‘Comprehensive Healthcare Response to Survivors of Sexual Assault.’ The workshop was held in Delhi on 1st and 2nd October, 2011. The goal of the workshop was to equip healthcare professionals with perspectives and skills to adopt a comprehensive and sensitive approach in responding to sexual assault survivors.

A large number of applications were received, and 35 participants were selected from Delhi and other parts of India. Participants included heads of department, senior specialists, and residents from gynecology and forensic medicine; nurses, lawyers, health administrators, psychologists and social workers.

The National Course was the first of its kind in the country. It focused on building perspectives and skills amongst healthcare providers on sexual violence, therapeutic role of doctors, dealing with ethical obligations and legal responsibilities, and deposition in court as medical experts. Experts in the fields of gynecology, forensic medicine, law and women’s health served as faculty. Adv. Vrinda Grover lead the keynote session providing a background on the evolution of laws related to sexual assault in India, the proposed Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2010, and role of the health system. Through hands-on methods such as role play, live demonstration, case studies and facilitated discussions, participants were equipped with skills for responding to sexual assault.

The Delhi High Court order in 2009 directed the health sector to draft guidelines for responding to sexual assault. In this light, CEHAT has been working with the Dept. of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Safdarjung Hospital to organize workshops and consultations with medical professionals. As a positive outcome of this, the Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology has moved towards a gender sensitive response model. Senior doctors from Safdarjung Hospital shared at the course approaches they have adopted such as elimination of the 2-finger test, ensuring privacy through allocation of a designated room for examination, provision of clothes to survivors post-examination, and regular trainings for resident doctors.

At the culmination of the course, participants shared feeling more equipped in medical examination of sexual assault as well as having developed a richer understanding of legal aspects pertaining to sexual assault. Majority of the participants expressed that they would carry forward lessons learned in this course to their respective hospitals/ organizations and train residents, lecturers and nursing staff, as well as work on developing standardized hospital policies and protocols for response.

Following the success of this national course and the overwhelmingly positive responses received, a second course on this topic will be organized by CEHAT in Mumbai in early 2012.

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