Gender-Based Violence in India: Providing better medical assistance to survivors of gender-based violence 

Source: The post Gender-Based Violence in India has been created, based on the article “Providing better medical assistance to survivors of gender-based violence” published in “Indian express” on 11th April 2024. 

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 2-Social Justice – Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of vulnerable sections. 

News: This article discusses the need for better medical care and legal support in India for survivors of gender–based violence. It highlights the importance of privacy, survivor–centered care, and changes in the health system and legal policies to support survivors. 

What is Gender-Based Violence in India?

1. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) includes various forms like intimate partner violence, domestic violence, and non-partner sexual violence.  

2. It encompasses physical, sexual, psychological and economic violence perpetrated against girls, women, and gender-diverse persons.  

For details information on Gender–Based Violence read here  

What are the Challenges with GBV Survivors?

1. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) survivors face health challenges like unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases including HIV, and physical injuries.

2. They experience mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, shame, and an increased risk of self-harm or suicide. 

3. The fear of stigma, blame, and legal issues prevents them from seeking medical care, with only one in 5,000 survivors doing so. 

4. The medical care system is not fully survivor-centric, lacking in privacy and comprehensive support. 

Note: Survivor-centric care involves providing a safe and private space for survivors to get medical and mental health support, with their consent and confidentiality maintained.

5. Survivors often prefer confidential support but are confronted with mandatory police reporting, further deterring them from seeking help.

6. Despite One Stop Centers and legal guidelines, there’s still a gap in providing accessible and empathetic care.

What should be done?

1. Legal reforms are needed to allow survivors to seek and provide medical care without mandatory police involvement, ensuring their privacy and agency. 

2. Health system reforms should focus on simplifying medical protocols at primary care levels, with referral pathways to higher care levels when necessary. 

3. Survivor-centric care should be emphasized, moving away from a system overly tied to forensic and legal procedures. 

4. Training for all healthcare workers is crucial to equip them with skills for providing empathetic, survivor-centric care. The medical and nursing curriculum should include comprehensive education on handling GBV cases. 

5. An exclusive research ecosystem is necessary to continuously improve health system responses to GBV.

6. A collaborative approach involving medical academia, legal experts, women’s rights activists, and policymakers is essential to drive these changes effectively. 

Questions for practice: 

Examine the key challenges faced by gender-based violence survivors in India.