PHM-Exch> New paper available: Brazilian policy responses to violence against women

[FXB HHR Journal]

Greetings, 
 
A new paper in press is available from Health and Human Rights: An International Journal:
Brazilian policy responses to violence against women: Government strategy and the help-seeking behaviors of women who experience violence 
Ligia Kiss, Ana Flavia Lucas d'Oliveira, Cathy Zimmerman, Lori Heise, Lilia Blima Schraiber, Charlotte Watts 
Available at http://hhrjournal.org/index.php/hhr/article/view/464/728.
Abstract 
Over the past three decades, international covenants have been signed and countries have implemented strategies and legislation to address violence against women. Concurrently, strong evidence on the magnitude and impact of violence against women has emerged from around the world. Despite a growing understanding of factors that may influence women's vulnerability to violence and its effects, key questions about intervention options persist. Using evidence from a WHO household survey on domestic violence, our paper discusses women's help-seeking patterns and considers these findings in relation to Brazil's policies and strategies on violence against women. For the WHO survey, data from a large urban center (the city of São Paulo) and from a rural region (Zona da Mata Pernambucana [ZMP]) was collected. Findings from this survey indicate that in São Paulo, only 33.8% of women who experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) sought help from a formal service provider, including 
 health, legal, social, or women's support services; in the Forest Zone of the State of Pernambuco, an even smaller proportion (17.1%) sought formal assistance. The majority of women were likely to contact only informal sources of support, such as family, friends, and neighbors. Women who used formal services were primarily those who experienced more severe levels of violence, were severely injured, had children who witnessed the violence, or whose work was disrupted by the violence. Although Brazil adopted progressive laws and national and local strategies to address violence against women (VAW), messages about violence and equality need to reach informal networks and the wider community in order to national anti-violence policies to be successful in supporting women before violence becomes intolerable. To translate international standards and national policies into actions that genuinely reach women experiencing violence, states must carefully consider evidence on women's o
 p
 tions and decision making. 
 
 
 
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Health and Human Rights: An International Journal
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