Sexual violence: recommended procedures and results of emergency care for women victims of rape

Abstract

Gender-based violence is related to the power imbalance between men and women that is present, to a greater or lesser degree, in all societies. It was recognized as a human rights problem by the UN relatively recently. It includes emotional, physical and sexual violence. Sexual violence is the extreme form of gender violence, usually accompanied by the other types of violence. Its prevalence is difficult to determine, but it most probably affects at least one third of women some time in their life. It has multiple consequences to women's physical and gynecological health, which depends in great part on the quality of the care the woman received immediately after the assault. Unfortunately, most emergency health services, including those in women's hospitals, are rarely prepared to provide the correct care for these women. Care should be multidisciplinary and involves crisis treatment, meticulous clinical examination with complementary auxiliary methods, treatment of physical lesions, prevention of pregnancy and of sexually transmitted infections and AIDS, and follow-up for at least six months after the aggression.

Sexual violence; Agression; Sexual abuse; Rape; Violence; Battered women