European health systems are failing victims of gender violence, WHO says

With gender violence figures rising across Europe, national health systems still lack infrastructure to support victims, a report published today by the World Health Organisation (WHO) found.

“The health sector fails nearly one in three survivors. Health systems are letting the survivors down at their most vulnerable moment”, said Hans Kluge, director of WHO Europe, during the presentation of the report.

Doctors, nurses and first response workers play an essential role in assisting victims, as they are often their first port of call after they are attacked.

“For millions of survivors, the health system is the first and often the only place they turn to for help. So the health system either captures and supports those survivors or loses them”, Kluge explained.

Women who have suffered gender-based violence encounter not only structural barriers and discriminatory policies but also stigma, shame and victim-blaming attitudes that obstruct their access to critical care, the health organisation said.

The new analysis showed that nearly one third of countries require health-care workers to report domestic or intimate partner violence to police without the consent of adult survivors.

This practice goes against WHO recommendations, as it is considered to discourage women from seeking help while increasing their distrust of healthcare providers.

The WHO’s analysis found that when women seek help from healthcare professionals, they don’t necessarily want to be referred to shelters or legal services. Instead, they look for recognition and validation of the abuse and for their injures to be treated with appropriate care.

Out of the 53 countries that fall within the WHO's European region, less than half follow the organisation’s guidelines for health treatment of women and girls after suffering violence. Only 45% of countries have clinical guidelines for healthcare providers, and just 43% include violence against women in their national health plans.

Only seven offer safe abortion services; 17 offer emergency contraception, and 20 provide treatment for sexually transmitted infections. For mental health, numbers are similar: only 20 countries offer an assessment, while 23 provide referrals for specialist treatment.

And while many countries in the region already have protocols in place, the report found that they are not always put in practice.

The WHO is calling on European countries to put services in place to respond to gender violence victims’ needs based on respect, safety, dignity, care and choice.