Mustafa Afifi
Ras al-Khaimah Medical and Health Sciences University, UAE
Title: Violence against woman via a primary care lens
Biography
Biography: Mustafa Afifi
Abstract
Primary Health Care (PHC) settings are unique in its nature because it deals with an entire family across the life span. Our aim in this study was to help the PHC doctors to identify and respond to cases of Violence Against Women (VAW) all over her life cycle. A PubMed based mini review was conducted based on papers published the last 20 years. We found that VAW usually starts even before the girl is born. Gender preference for males affect the survival, nutritional status of daughters, their physical development and differential access to education and health facilities. Then, in her early years of childhood, female genital cutting (FGC) is practiced in Africa and Asia. Its long-term complications include pain and scarring. Some of the adult women experienced the negative reproductive health effects. Being an adolescent, the girl could be exposed to forced marriage. Then, they may be subject to repeated domestic violence from their partner. In both forced and normal marriage arrangements, women could be prone to domestic violence. Suicide and self-harm could follow domestic violence. Moreover, during marriage, polygamy is another moral threat to wives and is associated with poor women mental health regardless of their socioeconomic position and education. Even after aging, women could be subjected to elderly abuse. The PHC doctor should be oriented about the 9 steps of VAW intervention (R9). He should know his role with victimized patients and express his readiness to listen to them and manage them. Doctors should be trained to recognize symptoms of violence, keeping in their mind its risk factors. Usually, the patient needs to be reviewed several times, even after her first visit or even after being referred to higher levels of care. Doctors should be reflective in their management with a respecting attitude to their patients.