Preventing gender-based violence: A global imperative.

Emergency contraception: A multispecialty survey of clinician knowledge and practices

This article examines how access to state‐funded infertility treatment in Latvia is regulated and morally framed. The analysis draws on state regulatory documents concerning sexual and reproductive health in Latvia, as well as six semi‐structured interviews with Latvian politicians and reproductive health specialists. The findings reveal that eligibility for treatment is not based solely on biomedical criteria but is also shaped by normative assumptions about gender roles and moral worth. A dominant heteronormative framework positions women as central to reproduction, while men are often marginalised or excluded from state support. Furthermore, infertility treatment is described as a form of economic investment by the state, with an implicit expectation of demographic return. Importantly, reproductive health specialists and politicians do not present reproduction as a neutral or purely biological process, but rather frame it in moral terms, suggesting that there are specific, morally acceptable forms of reproduction.

In 1985, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power, to protect and promote victim rights when navigating the criminal justice system. Today, technology, such as online and telephone hotlines, are changing how victims seek and receive support. Our review of the emerging gender-based violence and sexual assault hotline literature outlines where and how international initiatives can practically address complex experiences that shape how victims of violence (VOV) interact with criminal justice settings. In the literature, we identified common themes that revealed VOV demographics and contextual factors that complicate the implementation of victim-based criminal justice procedures. Our findings reveal that gender, age, and contextual factors, like the length of time before someone discloses their victimization, impact the experience of VOV. Our review suggests that the Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power should be updated to address individuals' diverse experiences when choosing to report their victimization.

The article proves that the prevention of gender-based violence as an object of administrative and legal regulation is a system of measures defined by law, which are carried out by the relevant authorities to stop such violence, provide assistance to victims, ensure their protection, victims receive compensation, and also ensuring proper investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators. Based on the analysis of the current legislation, it is established that the issues of combating gender-based violence are in the field of view of public authorities. The available legal framework covers the main areas of such counteraction. However, statistics that show an increase in the number of cases of gender-based violence necessitate the improvement of mechanisms for preventing and combating gender-based violence, as well as the interaction of actors in this area. It was found that in 2020, the Decree of the President of Ukraine decided to recognize the need for immediate implementation of measures aimed at protecting the rights and interests of victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence. In this regard, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine was instructed, in particular: to develop and approve a state social program to prevent and combat domestic violence and gender-based violence until 2025; approval of a standard program for victims, as well as improvement of a standard program for offenders, providing appropriate guidelines for the implementation of such programs; ensure the development of bills aimed at establishing liability for harassment (stalking), including through the use of electronic means of communication, such as gender-based violence. The lack of effectiveness of the mechanism for preventing and combating gender-based violence and ensuring the protection of the rights of victims of such violence is emphasized, which is one of the main problems in this area and necessitates the improvement of relevant legislation.

Background: Wars are always accompanied by various forms of violence. Gender-based violence occupies a special place. Currently, for the first time since the Second World War, the civilian population of Ukraine is facing widespread sexual violence, including rape, by the occupying forces. This situation requires a sociological study of sexual violence that takes into account the Ukrainian experience. Purpose: To identify the goals, as well as general and specific features of sexual violence committed against women during the Russian-Ukrainian war. Methods: Analysis of the memoirs of a victim of gender-based violence during the war; analysis of interviews with experts on sexual violence; method of comparison. Results: The particularity of sexual violence during the Russian-Ukrainian war is the "era of social media", when the relevant information technologies can turn an act of sexual violence into a public event. The primary purpose of various types of sexual violence is to add new "weapons" to the arsenal of war that will help to win. Conclusion: The recent history of Ukraine related to the Russian-Ukrainian war contains a significant amount of empirical data for further research on gender-based sexual violence during wars. Only after the full liberation of the temporarily occupied territories, the scale of sexual crimes committed by the Russian army can be determined, and their goals, forms of manifestation, consequences for the physical and mental health of victims and, accordingly, social consequences can be fully investigated. Keywords: gender-based sexual violence, sexual violence against women, rape culture.

Gender-based violence is a major global public health challenge that persists in many societies. This study aims to assess the problem of gender-based family violence in Mexico, addressing the social neglect surrounding this issue and proposing viable strategies for its reduction. To achieve this, we analyze public health data regarding individuals who required medical attention due to injuries from family violence in Mexico, examining trends and implications. To analyze the temporal evolution of these trends we propose a simplified mathematical model to assess the problem of gender-segregated violence. This model is compartmental and consists of a system of non-linear ordinary differential equations that describe the time evolution of a gender-segregated population susceptible to violence. We employed public health data to fit the model parameters related to family violence cases and develop plausible scenarios for the evolution of the model. To evaluate the model's performance, we also analyze data related to non-family violence and self-inflicted violence. Our initial findings reveal significant differences in parameter values and the projected evolution of the population based on gender. Notably, we observe a tendency for female victims to outnumber male victims by almost two orders of magnitude in cases of family violence in Mexico. Additionally, we explore theoretical recovery measures integrated into the model to reduce the number of female victims. Our results indicate that achieving equality in the number of male and female victims of family violence is only possible if both female victims and aggressors receive rehabilitation. Therefore, this dynamic modeling approach underscores the need for public strategies that not only assist female victims in escaping violent environments, but also promote awareness and recovery programs for those who commit acts of violence.

Understanding gender-based violence perpetration to create a safer future for women and girls.

How and through which instruments can social policies prevent domestic violence? Three of these instruments are, in our point of view: 1) the professional competence of the social workers and caregivers in protecting and preventing; 2) a shared gender-sensitive methodology, to help victims of domestic violence; 3) and the dialogue (necessary but not yet realized) among scientific, professional and political experts. Competent help is the pivot around which prevention strategies can be developed, to support networks of solidarity with victims. The building of networks is conclusive in overcoming the lack of social capital, above all in situations characterized by the fragility of social ties. Furthermore, the sector skill alliance could represent an innovation in the field of interventions to prevent the phenomenon of domestic violence and to build a more radical culture of non-violence in interpersonal relationships. In that way it will be possible a common vision on gender-based violence in diverse disciplinary fields: medicine, sociology, psychology, human rights, social services, criminology, social pedagogy and, at the same time, outline social policies that lead to effective solutions.

Gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health among low-income youth in three Brazilian cities

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to investigate whether a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer care with the inclusion of a reproductive health specialist improves referral rates for fertility counseling and/or preservation. METHODS: An IRB-approved retrospective study including women of reproductive age diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer and treated at a health system before and after the advent of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary tumor board (cMTB) with a reproductive health specialist was conducted. Rates of referral for fertility counseling and utilization of fertility preservation methods were compared between the cMTB and non-cMTB groups using t tests. Secondary analyses comparing baseline group characteristics and rates of referral/fertility preservation by age, insurance type, and race were performed using χ2 tests. RESULTS: Of 306 study participants, 117 were cared for by a non-cMTB and 189 by a cMTB. The groups did not differ in average age, parity, breast cancer subtype, insurance type (public versus private), or treatment site (urban versus suburban); however, the distribution of race was significantly different (P=.003). Overall, a greater percentage of women in the cMTB group received referrals for fertility counseling compared to those in the non-cMTB group (23.3% versus 0.9%, P<.001). Of the patients in the cMTB group who were referred for counseling, 20.5% underwent fertility preservation. Within the cMTB group, women younger than 30 were significantly more likely to be referred for fertility counseling (41.7% versus 20.6%, P=.043) and undergo a fertility preservation procedure (16.7% versus 3.0%, P=.016) than those aged 31–40. No significant differences in rates of referral or fertility preservation by race or insurance type were noted within each group. CONCLUSION: The inclusion of a reproductive health specialist in a multidisciplinary breast cancer tumor board increased rates of referral for fertility counseling for women of reproductive age. A similar, comprehensive approach to the care of reproductive-aged women with gynecologic malignancies should be considered.

Protecting Autonomy of Rohingya Women in Sexual and Reproductive Health Interventions

The relationship between young adulthood, women and psychosis was the focus for this systematic review. Age and gender are factors that can influence responses to illness. Research indicates that there are differences in how young men and women are affected biologically and psychosocially, including the presentation of a constellation of symptoms, response to anti-psychotic medications and how they assess their life circumstances. Yet in literature that examines experiences of young people with psychosis, the specific needs of young women are usually not presented separately. To better understand and address young adult women's healthcare and social service needs, a synthesis of evidence addressing the relationship between young adulthood, women and psychosis is needed. The aim of this systematic review was to synthesize the best available evidence on the experiences of young adult women (aged 18-35 years) living with a psychotic illness in the community. Specifically, the review question was:What are the experiences of young adult women living with a psychotic illness? Participants were young women between 18 and 35 years of age who were living with a psychotic illness in the community. The phenomenon of interest was the experiences of living with a psychotic illness of women aged 18-35 years in the community. Experiences were defined broadly as and inclusive of perceptions and experiences with health and social systems. The context for this review was the community setting. The current review included studies that focused on qualitative data including, but not limited to, designs such as phenomenology, grounded theory, ethnography, action research, feminist research and the qualitative component of mixed methods studies. A three-step search strategy was used to locate both published and unpublished studies. The search was limited to studies published from 1995 to the search date of May 13, 2015. Two reviewers independently appraised the nine included studies using the Joanna Briggs Institute Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-QARI) assessment tool. Data were extracted from included papers using the standardized data extraction tool from JBI-QARI. Two reviewers independently reviewed the extracted findings to identify potential categories to pool similar findings. A third member of the team met with the reviewers to collaboratively review these derived categories to create a meta-synthesis that reflected a comprehensive set of synthesized findings. Based on the thematic findings from nine qualitative studies, two synthesized findings were identified: (1) the complexity of living with psychosis and finding health, and (2) the presence of harming and healing relationships in young women's lives. The included studies explored a range of experiences relevant for women within the broader phenomenon of experiences of living with a psychotic illness, including experiences within healthcare and social systems. The systematic exploration of the literature resulted in identification of nine studies of moderate-to-high methodological quality that met the inclusion criteria. The ConQual evaluation of the level of evidence resulted in synthesized finding 1 (the complexity of living with psychosis and finding health) rated as moderate and synthesized finding 2 (the presence of harming and healing relationships in young women's lives) rated as low. Practitioners can use these findings to guide practice. Further research exploring other experiences relevant for this population is needed.

Gender-based violence is a major public health concern. Although, in many instances, violence against women and girls encompasses the entire spectrum of gender-based violence in the public eye, violence against men is a very real threat that is obscure and obliterated within cultural norms. Identification of the legal and cultural barriers men face is a very important step forward toward promoting gender equity. There is a severe paucity of research on gender-based violence against men in Sri Lanka. A qualitative study was conducted to explore the causes, effects, and help-seeking behaviors of men subjected to gender-based violence in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. Two focus group discussions and two in-depth interviews were carried out among seventeen purposefully selected victims of gender-based violence and ten key informant interviews were carried out among service providers recruited purposefully in the Colombo district. Transcript analysis was done by using the thematic analysis method. The study participants of the focus group discussions described themes of preconceived notions about the male sex, gender bias, power play, and masculinity norms as causes leading to gender-based violence. Many participants described their own or a peer's life experience to explain the experiences and consequences of gender-based violence. The key informant interview revealed certain aspects of the support systems which need revision in order to make the services more accessible to men. This study provides evidence regarding the hitherto undiscussed topic of gender-based violence against men in Sri Lanka. The findings highlight the importance of taking into consideration and inclusion of men in the development of policies for gender-based violence in Sri Lanka.

The distribution of Zakat to victims of violence against women and children is a new idea in which the law requires profound interpretation and even the existence of contemporary Ijtihad. This new phenomenon has received mixed responses from various Islamic law experts, as in Ponorogo, which experienced quite a lot of dynamics. This research aims to explore responses to the phenomenon of zakat for victims of sexual violence from religious leaders and community organizations Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. To explore responses to the phenomenon of zakat for victims of sexual violence, researchers conducted phenomenological qualitative research with a field approach. The data source from this research is religious figures in the Ponorogo region. In-depth interview techniques with all research subjects regarding responses to the phenomenon of zakat to victims of sexual violence collected data. In this study, it can be concluded that the paradigm of NU and Muhammadiyah Ponorogo Ulama in responding to zakat to victims of sexual violence is divided into three. Rigid-textual paradigm, eclectic-textual paradigm, and contextual-maqashid sharia paradigm. This research can be a reference for the community in distributing zakat, which is more humanist.

Strengthening the BTWC: The role of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention in combating natural and deliberate disease outbreaks