Why should SRH service providers address gender-based violence?
• Women who experience GBV are at increased risk for a variety of SRH-related problems. Violence can limit a woman’s ability to negotiate the use of condoms or other contraception, thereby increasing her risk of unintended pregnancies and STIs. • Providers may misdiagnose clients or offer inappropriate care if they do not ask about violence. Without knowing a woman’s experience of violence, it can be difficult for providers to properly diagnose or treat conditions such as re-occuring STIs and chronic pain, or provide effective and appropriate counselling. • Health care providers are strategically placed to identify women at risk of GBV. Health programs-especially those that provide SRH programs-are often among the few institutions that have routine contact with most adult women in developing countries. • Health professionals can help to change societal attitudes about violence against women because they can reframe violence as a health problem instead of just a social custom or private
