Iraq celebrates the launch of the Clinical Handbook for the health care of women subjected to violence

Iraq 07:23 PM - 2021-01-18

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On Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Iraqi Ministry of Health on both the Central and Kurdistan Region levels, launched the Iraqi Clinical Handbook- an adaptation of the WHO Clinical Handbook for the health care of women subjected to violence.

 

The event marked the attendance of more than 80 participants from health and protection sectors including healthcare providers, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), international non-governmental organizations (I-NGOs), and civil society organizations and activists. It also signified the ongoing national efforts to address violence against women and girls in different vulnerable settings in Iraq.

 

 

“Violence in general and that against the vulnerable groups like women, girls, and children in particular, is a mounting concern worldwide and it is gaining a great deal of attention by the national authorities in Iraq,” said Dr. Wael Hatahit, the Emergency Team Lead and Acting WHO Representative in Iraq. 

 

“The Gender-Based Violence (GBV) team in WHO Iraq, with the technical guidance of our experts in the Regional Office, are supporting the national multi-sectoral efforts to address this issue scientifically and stress the importance of the health sector as a key partner in the prevention and early detection of violence in the country,” Hatahit added.

 

“The handbook will provide efficient responsive tools adapted to the Iraqi context,” a message conveyed during the launch by Dr. Maha El Adawy, Director of the Healthier Population Department in WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMRO). “We expect this manual to strengthen the health sector response to violence against women and to provide specific evidence-based guidance to improve health services for this vulnerable group,” she further explained.

 

Violence against women and children in Iraq remains a public health issue of remarkable impact on the mentioned groups especially during the Covid-19 pandemic as it directly affects their general health, safety, and wellbeing in addition to limiting their ability to access timely life-saving services.

 

“It is important to ensure violence survivors a safe access to health care facilities,” said Dr. Lana Fouad, a mental health professional participating in the launch ceremony. “There are still huge gaps in addressing survivors’ basic health needs especially during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic which further stressed the already overburdened health system in Iraq,” she added.

 

On the other hand, Dr. Hussam Shareef, a public health provider in the Iraqi Ministry of Health and a participant in the virtual launch commented that “The Ministry of Health, with the support of WHO, will maintain its efforts to implement the National Clinical Handbook in 2021, with focus on training healthcare providers, conducting a quality assessment of health facilities to identify the needed support, and ensuring an accessible and adequate level of healthcare to women and girls survivors of violence.”

 

 

PUKmedia / UNAMI