Being born a woman is a health risk all over the planet. Sexist violence and femicide are one of the leading causes of unnatural death in women. In addition, its consequences are the cause of disability and suffering for millions of women on the planet.
The estimate, without quantifying psychological violence, is that 1 in 3 women on the planet have suffered physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. A public health priority marked since 1996 by the WHO, which defined it as any act or intention that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women. Thus, it includes threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether in public and private life. So if sexist violence is considered a health problem of the first magnitude and pandemic dimension, in addition to a serious violation of women’s human rights, why do health workers find it so difficult to recognize and handle sexist violence?
The most frequent justifications are lack of time. In general, time is the workhorse of all health systems, but this response masks the fact that health professionals do not consider sexist violence as a care priority within the time they have, be it greater or lesser. It is more a problem of perception, awareness and will, than a material problem of time. The lack of a circuit and coordination that guarantees the protection of women victims is also indicated as a reason. Improved coordination and action protocols to offer early and effective care to women victims of gender violence, their sons and daughters. And finally, the lack of skill and training of the professionals themselves, and that is that sexist violence is literally a pending subject in medicine, nursing and other health sciences careers. In general, it can be said that health training, like many others, lacks a gender perspective.
On the other hand, beyond more or less certain justifications, what experience has shown is that the identification of cases of violence is fundamentally linked to the sensitization and awareness of professionals.
The healthcare system can be part of the solution
In the fight against gender violence, there is no room for equidistance, unfortunately in the parliaments born of the new elections where the extreme right has dominated the conservative discourse. Therefore, the health system can be part of the solution or aggravate this public health problem.
The health system must be a safe space free of gender violence. It must be at the service of the fight against sexist violence and adopt measures for early detection, prevention and adequate response to the consequences it has on women’s health. Its role is key in prevention and response because it is the closest public service and the one with which most women have contact in their lives.
Through primary care with the adequate training of its professionals and establishing a universal screening for gender violence, violence can be detected early before it reaches more serious levels, reducing its consequences and suffering. With this, the hidden bag of abuse is revealed by identifying physical, sexual and psychological aggressions without sufficient medical gravity to go to the emergency room and guide women early towards the appropriate circuits for exiting the situation of violence. Also in this first level of care, it is possible to prevent suicide, act against addictions and mental health problems in the context of sexist violence.
We must always remember that sexist violence is a public health problem, but its origin is not any pathogen, but rather inequality and machismo. It attacks women for the mere fact of being, because they are considered by their aggressors, lacking the minimum rights of freedom, respect and decision-making capacity.
In reality we are facing a democratic deficit, a deficit in women’s citizenship that manifests itself in all spheres of life, health being one of the most serious and urgent to correct.
