Oral

The focus of this panel is to bring together domestic and international experts on sexual violence towards women (both in health and rights), and to highlight some key findings and lessons that can be applied by public health professionals working to reduce its impact. Through this panel the APHA International Human Rights Committee aims to strengthen participants’ awareness of how sexual violence relates to public health and the defense of human rights for women and girls, and to demonstrate beneficial programs and policies that can be implemented to address it. The panelists bring together diverse experiences and research from programs in the US, Africa, and other international settings and include lessons learned on prevention, reducing the health consequences for victims and improving services and public policies.

Session Objectives: Participants will be able to state two examples of how sexual violence is related to public health and human rights. Participants will be able to cite two beneficial policies related to prevention or treatment of sexual violence that can protect both womens' public health and human rights. We aim to bring together experience from Africa (SV and HIV prevention, or SV in refugee settings), US domestic policy lessons learned on improving services or reducing incidence, and experience from Latin America

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing