Sexual Assault in Women: Strengthening the Medical Response

Hannah Vail

The World Health Organization has recently developed a new manual with intentions of helping healthcare systems better respond to women survivors of domestic or sexual violence. It is suggested that care should not only be available to women at every level of healthcare delivery but that it should also be an integral part of primary healthcare. This will be made possible by providing numerous opportunities for women to be connected to supportive social and legal services if desired. According to the World Health Organization, this manual is in support of the “Global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health system within a national multisectoral response to address interpersonal violence, against women and girls, and against children.” Women who are survivors of sexual violence have documented experiences of numerous short and long-term negative physical injury, sexually transmitted infections, unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, anxiety, shame, posttraumatic stress, and depression.

Also, many of the women who experience sexual violence are confronted with problems that are not necessarily medical emergencies. It is for these reasons that they require comprehensive health services to cope with both the physical and mental health consequences that result from their experience. The World Health Organization has worked to develop a policy framework intended to improve health sector responses to sexual violence.

Unfortunately, there are still too many women who delay in seeking help after sexual assault or do not seek help at all. One of the main causes of this is due to the lack of support services post-violent encounter. Because of this, there is a reduced demand for medico-legal services. So far, the three major aims the World Health Organization included in the policy framework are to promote policy measures that will support the provision of comprehensive and ethical services to persons who have experienced sexual violence, to assist in evaluating current policies and practices relevant to sexual violence, identifying existing gaps and setting goals for future policy strategies, to promote the coordination of efforts of police departments, health services, prosecutors, social welfare agencies, and non-governmental service providers, such as rape crisis centers.