The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #47005

Alessandra Guedes, MA, MSc¹, Rupal Sanghvi, MPH², Sarah Bott, MA, MPH³, and Ana Guezmes, MD³. (1) Western Hemisphere Regional Office, International Planned Parenthood Federation / WHR, 120 Wall Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10005-3902, 212 214-0233, aguedes@ippfwhr.org, (2) Evaluation Unit, IPPF/WHR, 120 Wall Street, 9th floor, New York, NY 10005, (3) Consultant, 10913 Wellworth Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a human rights violation and a public health problem. Numerous professional organizations recommend that providers routinely screen women for GBV, and some International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) affiliates have implemented such policies. Preliminary results indicate that provider awareness, screening practices, and detection rates have risen dramatically since these efforts began.

However, hardly any published evidence indicates whether or not screening ultimately benefits women or entails unintended risks. Conceptual and methodological challenges make this question difficult to assess, including 1) the paucity of indicators and 2) ethical and logistical difficulties in following-up women in violent situations.

To address these challenges and to complement services statistics and exit surveys, IPPF/WHR designed a qualitative evaluation in three affiliates, incorporating group discussions and in-depth interviews. The evaluation explored the projects’ effect on women and providers and the extent to which different interventions benefit women experiencing violence in resource-poor settings.

Initial results suggest that efforts to help women access legal systems face enormous difficulties. Individual psychotherapy can benefit some women, but is expensive, whereas support groups seem to offer similar benefits to women in a feasible, cost-effective way.

Through qualitative and quantitative assessments, IPPF/WHR hopes to understand how screening and referral affect women’s lives and to highlight interventions that are effective in resource-poor settings.

Learning Objectives:

• 1. Recognize conceptual and methodological challenges of evaluating the risks and benefits of screening for gender-based violence.
• 2. Review quantitative and qualitative data from three Latin American countries regarding the effect of GBV services on women’s lives.

Keywords: Violence, Latin American

Related Web page: www.ippfwhr.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: International Planned Parenthood Federation / Western Hemisphere Region (IPPF/WHR)
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.