The World Health Organization (WHO) has released a series of new learning resources for nurses and others working in healthcare to better support female patients who are subjected to violence.
A new e-learning programme is designed to help to identify and support women who are victims of intimate partner violence or sexual violence, as well as highlighting the critical need for investing in prevention.
The online course is free and aims to increase the skills and knowledge of healthcare workers so they can successfully help women by offering empathy, care and support to survivors of violence. The resources have been released to coincide with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls.
Almost 1 in 3 women are subjected to violence, mostly by an intimate partner. In the UK, a woman is killed by a man every three days, domestic abuse makes up nearly a fifth of all recorded crimes, and in the year ending March 2022, there were 194,683 sexual offences, of which 70,330 were rape, highlighting the levels of violence against women.
For women who are experiencing any kind of violence, healthcare workers are often the first or only point of contact they may have, giving them a unique opportunity to intervene, providing support and, in extreme cases, life-saving care.
The WHO has produced six interactive sections, which include reading materials, animations, exercises, and case studies, which can be accessed via a computer or handheld devices such as tablets or mobile phones. After completing each module and a final assessment, all participants will receive a course certificate.
The new e-learning resources complement the WHO’s existing face-to-face training curriculum. They can be used as a stand-alone self-study or as a prerequisite for the face-to-face training that focuses on practising skills.
Throughout the 16 days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, an annual international campaign running from 25 November, WHO is launching several other resources in addition to the e-learning programme.
The extra resources include e-learning for healthcare workers working in humanitarian emergencies, which offer opportunities to understand and learn about caring for survivors of rape and intimate partner violence in an emergency setting. The resources are available on Disaster Ready and OpenWHO.
A measurement and data toolkit will also be available to help healthcare workers build up and collate evidence of violence against women.
In addition, a series of animated videos telling the stories of human suffering behind the numbers will also be available during the 16 days of activism. Using survivor voices, healthcare workers can understand more about how to most effectively listen, express empathy and support survivors, as well as gain the tools to speak out when they see violence against women.
For more information and updates, visit WHO’s 16 Days of Activism campaign page and the Violence Against Women health topic page to learn more.
