Domestic violence and health-related complications

Facing abuse from all over

This is everywhere but hardly anyone talks about it. The victims never speak about it and always try to hide it. Others just do not see it and never notice it even if they come across it.

According to the Health Education Bureau of Sri Lanka, violence against women and health-related complications arising from it, has become one of the major public health issues all over the world today. Violence against women causes physical and psychological ill health in women. If you compare an ordinary female patient with another who has undergone physical abuse, you can clearly notice that the latter is less healthy and lacks energy. Their health condition is worse than that of other female patients and develops various illnesses.As a result of being subjected to violence, women face numerous health related complications. Today we are going to talk about it openly because it happens at your home, takes away your money, mental health and physical health of your whole family. Even your family pet cannot escape from it.

When it comes to pregnancy we come across even worse situations. Women who undergo violence get more infections in the vagina and crevice. They will tend to bleed easily during their pregnancy. Still, premature or underweight babies are born to women who undergo abuse and violence. Sexually abused women discharge blood during their pregnancy and get severe vaginal pain. Such women also get severe pain during menstruation and many other reproductive system diseases. She suffers from long term lower abdominal pain.

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Sexual abuse and violence against women is one of the main reasons for her ill health and weakness. She may also face unwanted pregnancy, diseases such as HIV and other STDs.

According to world statistics, one in every three women undergoes sexual abuse and violence imposed on her by her husband/partner. Many women commit suicide when it becomes unbearable and some women who bear it or fight against it are killed by their husbands/partners all over the world.

Health Education Bureau statistics says that in Sri Lanka, women from all parts of the country, social backgrounds and all ethnicities undergo violence. Most women who experience such violence belong to the age group of 20 to 44. They have either been abused by their own husbands, relations, family members and even neighours or males who are close to them. Around 34.4 percent of women face physical violence throughout their lives at least once in their life. The possibility of undergoing sever abuse during the lifetime is 19.8 percent. Gender based violence causes many other serious health problems for women.

Some of them are fatal and some serious but not fatal. Some of the fatal problems are suicide, maternal deaths and AIDS while the non fatal but serious health problems can be chronic pain, intestinal problems, memory loss and changes in memory.

Apart from those problems, gender based violence leads to addiction to smoking and other drugs, risky sexual behaviors, physical inactivity caused by mental pressure and abnormalities in food habits. Such women also face mental sicknesses such as PTSD, depression, anxiety or phobia/panic disorders.

When it comes to violence against women, we can always see injuries, internal bleeding and other damages to internal organs, becoming permanently disabled, weak health, inability to perform daily tasks and dizziness. Women who undergo violence and abuse turn up in hospitals only when they are unable to bear the pain and perform their duties. But even when they turn up in hospitals they never say that they were abused by a male.

If the mother of the family gets mentally or physically affected, the whole family especially the children get affected too.

There is one way out from this problem. There is no point forcing Sri Lankan women to speak against their husbands/partners, because they will never do it. They cannot call them culprits and go back to their husband’s home and stay with him without fearing for their life. Therefore, we need another practical effective system to stop this chain of violence against women’s mental and physical health.

Accurate diagnosis can be done and make it compulsory. When the same woman turns up in the same hospital for the same type of cuts, bruises and injuries often, there should be a system to track her down and follow the case.

According to the Health Ministry statistics, many women who have faced violence, turn up at the Colombo General Hospital stating something else and obtain medical treatment.

Women represent over 52 percent of the total population of the country and many of them are mothers. Therefore, it is all about the population’s health – not just violence against women.

Nadira Gunatilleke - Daily News