Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) is a medical emergency.
We strive to make comprehensive health care available for survivors of sexual violence, whether they be women, children or men in all of our projects.
Sexual violence can occur in any society at any time, but is exacerbated in unstable situations such as conflicts.
As a medical emergency, SGBV requires direct access and referral to quality health services.
SGBV encompasses many different acts of violence against women, children and men, ranging from rape to genital mutilation.
In conflict, rape is often used as a weapon or as a reward for soldiers. Rape and other forms of sexual abuse are also used as a means of torture or, in some cases, as a strategy to spread HIV/AIDS within a community.
Sexual violence can cause a wide variety of medical consequences affecting physical and reproductive health.
Physical injuries can range from stab wounds, fractures, and bleeding to vaginal fistuals.
People who are sexually abused are also more susceptible to developing a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as HIV. STIs are more likely to be transmitted by forced sex, as vaginal or anal tears provide an entry for the virus.
Another medical consequence can be unintended pregnancies. According to the World Health Organisation, women who have suffered sexual violence are twice as likely to have an abortion. Unsafe abortions performed in resource poor settings often cause further consequences for reproductive health.
Some 600,000 displaced people are living in desperate conditions, with inadequate access to food and exposed to violence in camps around Goma, in the North Kivu region. MSF’s medical teams have witnessed alarming rates of malnutrition and mortality in some of the camps.
Years of ongoing conflict in South Sudan have resulted in high levels of poverty, lack of infrastructure and an underdeveloped healthcare system. On top of this, stigma and social norms mean that women and girls can face additional barriers to accessing care, especially after sexual or gender-based violence.
From Kenya to Pakistan, Patrick Kibira has worked with MSF in various countries over the past decade. He shares with us what keeps him inspired.
Two sex workers who were part of MSF's programme killed, raising fear and barriers to healthcare
In the overcrowded Mathare slum area of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Médecins Sans Frontières runs a 24-hour sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) care clinic called Lavender House, where Barbara Salano Kerre is the sexual and gender-based violence mental health supervisor.
Survivors of sexual violence can have a lot to deal with, from physical and psychological injuries to exclusion from the community, sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancies.
Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) is a medical emergency.
We strive to make comprehensive health care available for survivors of sexual violence, whether they be women, children or men in all of our projects.
Sexual violence can occur in any society at any time, but is exacerbated in unstable situations such as conflicts.
As a medical emergency, SGBV requires direct access and referral to quality health services.
SGBV encompasses many different acts of violence against women, children and men, ranging from rape to genital mutilation.
In conflict, rape is often used as a weapon or as a reward for soldiers. Rape and other forms of sexual abuse are also used as a means of torture or, in some cases, as a strategy to spread HIV/AIDS within a community.
Sexual violence can cause a wide variety of medical consequences affecting physical and reproductive health.
Physical injuries can range from stab wounds, fractures, and bleeding to vaginal fistuals.
People who are sexually abused are also more susceptible to developing a sexually transmitted infection (STI) such as HIV. STIs are more likely to be transmitted by forced sex, as vaginal or anal tears provide an entry for the virus.
Another medical consequence can be unintended pregnancies. According to the World Health Organisation, women who have suffered sexual violence are twice as likely to have an abortion. Unsafe abortions performed in resource poor settings often cause further consequences for reproductive health.
