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
 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.
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
 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.
 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
 Violence against women in India,1998

molest
6%
pain
0.2% 7% 24% dowrydeaths
11% abduction
rape
13%
8% 31% others
sexual violence
bad behaviour
 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.
 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
mark 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
 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.
 NGO’s Working on VAW
• International:
• ARROW, Kualalampar (http://www.asiaconnect.com.my
/arrow)
• Coordination of Women’s Advocacy, Switzerland (E-mail:
cwwa@iprolink.ch)
• Health and Development Policy Project,, Maryland, USA (E-
mail: hdpp@ig.ap.org)
• Isis-Women’s International Cross Cultural Exchange, Uganda
(E-mail: isis@starom.co.ug)
 NGO’s Working on VAW cont
• International:

• Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Network against

Domestic and Sexual Violence, Chile (E-mail: isis@reuna.cl)
• Match International Centre, Canada (E-mail:
mathint@web.apc.org)
• Women in Law and Development, Africa, Zimbabwe

• National:
• Chetna(Ahmedabad); Shakti (Jaipur)