Domestic Violence
What We Do › Domestic Violence
“IPV is not a private issue—it is a national problem that must be addressed jointly by healthcare providers and law enforcement agencies. We have a long way to go to develop effective preventive programs and establish crisis centers and shelters for critical cases.”
Dr. Karine Sarkisyan, director of the Erebuni Women’s Wellness Center in Yerevan, Armenia (Yerevan/Los Angeles partnership)
Domestic violence, also know as intimate partner violence (IPV), is defined as physical, mental, and sexual abuse of women by an intimate male partner or ex-partner. This type of abuse is the most pervasive form of violence against women worldwide, according to studies conducted by WHO and the World Bank. It transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, educational, and socioeconomic boundaries and involves the systematic use of force, threats, and intimidation intended to subordinate one partner to the other.
As more and more political leaders, community activists, and healthcare providers come to see the numerous adverse physical and mental consequences of IPV, many AIHA partners have responded by initiating programs and services geared toward helping victims break free from the cycle of violence that has all too often been masked by silence and shame.
Since July 1999, AIHA has provided training to increase awareness of issues related to domestic violence to physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, and other healthcare providers in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia. These practitioners then put the concepts and skills they learn to use in Women’s Wellness Centers, primary healthcare clinics, hospital emergency rooms, and other health facilities throughout the region.
Projects
AIHA's efforts to draw attention to the problem of domestic violence, as well as to improve the scope and availability of programs that prevent abuse and offer assistance to victims of abuse are carried out through specific programmatic activities, including:
Primary Healthcare Partnerships
Through a network of more than 30 primary healthcare partnerships in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, AIHA has helped establish some 70 primary care, family medicine, and women’s wellness centers that provide comprehensive, high-quality clinical care to thousands of people each year. In communities where domestic violence has emerged as a significant problem, partners have established programs to raise awareness and provide much-needed assistance to women and children in abusive situations. Read more...
Healthy Communities Partnerships
AIHA’s Healthy Communities program moves partners outside hospital walls and into the heart of the villages and cities they are seeking to serve. Participants work hand-in-hand with a host of community stakeholders to address diverse issues that adversely affect public health, including domestic violence. Read more...
Domestic Violence Information Resources
Disseminating accurate, timely information rooted in evidence-based practices and sharing successful models and lessons learned plays an important role in AIHA's strategy for sustainable healthcare programs. For more information about domestic violence, please visit the following links:
» EurasiaHealth Knowledge Network
» Women's Health Toolkit
» Nursing Toolkit
» Healthy Communities Toolkit
» Articles
» AIHA Success Stories
» Other Resources
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