Violence Against Women and Role Of Health Care Providers: National Course For Health Professionals

This national level course on violence against women is aimed at health care professionals in order to bridge gap that exists in medical education on the issue of gender-based violence and the role of healthcare providers. The course structure has been developed in collaboration with a core faculty. The methodology followed in the course are largely participatory which includes role plays, debates, presentations by participants, analysis of case studies.

Faculty: Amar Jesani, Aruna Burte, Manisha Gupte, Renu Khanna and Seema Malik

The course aims …

• To understand violence as a public health and human rights issue.
• To understand discrimination based on caste, class, community and gender, its root causes.
• To reflect on different forms of violence and its causes.
• To understand the health consequences of Violence Against Women.
• To identify the role of health professionals in dealing with victims of violence from a public health and ethics perspective.
• To build specific skills required to communicate with victims of violence.
• To understand the need of inter-sectoral coordination like, legal, police, shelter and other organisations.

Recognizing Violence against Women as a Health Issue: A Progressive Step by the Maharashtra Nursing Council

The 4th National Course on Violence against women and role of health care providers (HCP's), culminated on 22nd September with a valedictory session held at the J.P Naik Bhavan, Kalina University, Mumbai. The Chief Guest for the valedictory function was Mr. Ramling Mali, President of the Maharashtra Nursing Council (MNC). Other guests present were Dr.Potdar, Deputy Director, Nursing, Director Health Services (DHS) and Dr. Neelam Bansode, Asstt. Director, Nursing, DHS, Govt. of Maharashtra. This course is conducted by the Center for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT) and is designed to provide participants with an understanding on Violence Against Women (VAW) as a health and human rights issue and train them to respond to specific needs of victims of violence.

This course was started on the premise that health care providers have an important role in responding to abused women. Treating injuries, collecting medical evidence in cases of sexual assault or conducting autopsies are the services that the health professionals routinely provide to survivors of violence. They are not only the most certain but also the earliest point of contact for any victim. Even before a woman takes the decision to register a complaint or seek help from a counselling/support group, she is more likely to seek treatment for trauma caused by violence from a health care provider. Despite this, medical and nursing education does not emphasise on violence as a health issue. Health care providers are hence ill-equipped to deal with such victims and it is therefore imperative that they be trained adequately to understand the complex linkages between violence and health and their role in caring for victims. This course was designed and launched with the objective that it would eventually get incorporated into the medical and nursing curricula.

This year, the participants of the course were senior nursing tutors and nursing staff from various nursing colleges and hospitals of Maharashtra. They were deputed by Director Health Services (DHS), Govt. of Maharashtra. The concepts and skills imparted in the training, as well as the training methodologies used were greatly appreciated by all participants. Participants were enthusiastic and had several ideas as to how the course could be incorporated into the nursing curriculum. They said that the modules from the course could be incorporated into various nursing degrees, into subjects like Community Health Nursing and training of ANMs. Creating a pool of nurse trainers within the health system to train others, sensitizing all cadres of staff in their hospital settings, organizing street plays in the villages to increase awareness among women so that they may resist violence and starting a hospital based counselling centre at district hospitals were some other ideas proposed.

The Chief Guest, Mr.Mali emphasized that the issue of violence should be a part of nursing education as nurses are often the first contact for victims. He appreciated the curriculum acknowledging that it was unique and not part of any text book, even though the role of health professionals in this issue is so important. He felt that the participants of the course could be ambassadors for highlighting the role that health professionals have to play in of responding to violence against women. The same sentiment was echoed by Dr.Potdar who said that this issue must be incorporated into undergraduate as well as postgraduate nursing curricula. He proposed that a committee be formed with representatives from the DHS, CEHAT, some of the participants, and members from the nursing council so that the required changes can be made in the curriculum and it can become made an integral part of nurses training. Considering the apathy of the health professions towards the issue of Violence Against Women, such enthusiasm and willingness on the part of the Nursing Council and the DHS is indeed laudable.