HEALTHCARE AS PART OF INTEGRATED GBV SERVICES: The potential need of a network of expertise and knowledge

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HEALTHCARE AS PART OF INTEGRATED GBV SERVICES
The potential need of a network of expertise and
knowledge

• Dr. Sam Thenya
• CEO The Nairobi Womens Hospital
• 5th GTZ Health Sector Network Meeting
• 25th February 2010

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About NWH-GVRC

• GVRC was established in 2001 as a charitable
  trust of the Nairobi Womens Hospital to provide
  free medical treatment and psychosocial support
  to survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
• Today the centre has treated over 15,000
  survivors of sexual and domestic violence.
• 90 of the cases are of sexual violence
• 49 of the cases are women, 45 children and 6
  men
• The youngest survivor of sexual violence is a 1
  month old baby and the oldest 105 yrs old
  grandmother.
• The centre has 15 staff, runs semi autonomously
  from the NWH and depends on donor funding to run
  its activities. ( Both International and local
  donors)
• Other services provided include
• Training of other service providers ( health
  workers, police, magistrates, policy makers,
  community opinion leaders) on management of
  gender based violence,
• Daily collection of data and analysis of GBV
  stastistics,
• Advocacy for policy/legislative enactment and
  implementation
• Community awareness creation on impact of GBV and
  HIV/AIDS.

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What Difference does GVRC make?

• GBV cases have no boundaries economic, social,
  cultural or religious everyone is directly or
  indirectly affected, everyone needs these
  services.
• All GVRC services are free we reach out to the
  poorest of the poor
• Medical services are aimed at prevention of HIV
  infection ( PEP within 72hrs and has 99 success
  rate), prevention of unwanted pregnancy,
  prevention of Hepatitis B infection, treatment of
  STI and reconstructive surgeries.
• GVRC creates awareness on prevention of violence
  in the society. GVRC has advised police and
  Kenyans on red spots in the city and constantly
  shared statistics to advise policy change and
  establishment of structures to prevent the vise.
• GVRC provides legal support preservation of
  evidence, medical reports and doctors evidence at
  no cost.

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NWH/GVRC Linkage with Public Health

• Best practices GVRC remains the oldest and
  leading institution in East and Central Africa.
  Various institutions learn from NWH/GVRC
• Capacity building/Trainings Train health
  service providers, legal professionals, the
  police, social workers and counselors on
  management of GBV and service delivery
• Participate in the development of standard
  operating procedures, quality services,
  regulatory frameworks, policies and professional
  ethics.
• Participate in intersectoral coordination,
  collaboration and partnerships to improve quality
  of service example referral systems.

5
Networking organizations

• GVRC network comprise
• Women's Rights Awareness program (WRAP),
• Coalition of Rights and Education of Abused Women
  (CREAW),
• Coalition of Violence Against women (COVAW),
• UNAIDS, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA),
• UNIFEM, Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya
  (FIDA),
• African Womens development and communication
  Network (FEMNET),
• CRADLE, CLAN, ANPPCAN, Plan Kenya, International
  Justice Mission (IJM),
• GOAL Kenya Rescue Centre, Oscar Foundation Free
  Legal Aid Clinic,
• Child life Trust, Childrens Department, Nairobi
  Childrens Home, Childline Kenya, Faulu Kenya,
• Support for Women In Extreme Difficulties
  (S.W.E.D), and other GBV stakeholders etc.

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GVRCs Achievements through networking

• GVRC received great support during the post
  election violence. 653 survivors were treated at
  the hospital, 286 through partners supported by
  GVRC and over 2812 through medical camps. Over
  180,000 received psychosocial support. GVRC is
  proud to, in collaboration with Red Cross,
  establish the psychosocial component of the
  national emergency response team during PEV where
  over 180,000 people received psychosocial
  support.
• Recruitment of long term project donors namely
  Safaricom Foundation, Terres des hommes, PLAN
  International, Childline Kenya, OBA, UNFPA and
  UAP Insurance
• Police headquarters ( Gender and children affairs
  department) currently working closely with GVRC
  to assist survivors who encounter challenges
  while trying to report their cases at any police
  station

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Knowledge Sharing

• GVRC is a pioneer centre for GBV statistics and
  other centers in Kenya many NGOs, Government,
  Media houses and UN agencies rely on the centres
  statistics in providing reports. These including
  the National Commission on Gender and
  Development, Kenya National Human Rights
  Commission, FIDA Kenya, WRAP, MEDEVA among
  others. UNFPA has come on board to support GVMU
  expansion to collect and collate data on GBV in
  the country. This is a pilot program that is
  hoped to be replicated in all provinces to enable
  a national reflection of statistics and further
  enable advocacy for societal change.

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Knowledge Sharing

• GVRC is currently a centre of reference in East
  Africa for best practices in medical services and
  psychosocial support for survivors of GBV. GVRC
  staff have carried out several trainings and
  presented several papers to service providers and
  like minded stakeholders in East Africa and
  U.S.A.
• The centres statistics are also quoted in
  several UN and NGO publications. For example, the
  GBV Sub cluster report on PEV, WRAP report on
  PEV, Action Aid Kenya on the intersection of VAW
  and HIV/AIDS amongst others.

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Achievements through Networking

• GVRC representative seat in the Childline Kenya
  board of directors and in the National Steering
  Committee on the Child 24 hour toll free
  helpline. GVRC is in partnership with Childline
  to provide rescue services (Ambulance).
• GVRC made significant contribution to the
  enactment of the Sexual Offences Act, 2006,
  magistrates, police, health service providers
  among others were trained on implications of
  sexual violence and statistics collected at the
  centre used to advocate and lobby for the change
  in legislation.

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Achievements in lobbying through Networking

• Rape Red spots Bill boards were initially put in
  the sites to educate people about rape. The globe
  cinema roundabout as well as the railway red spot
  is now matatu terminus, well light and each has a
  police post.
• GVRC together with other Civil Society
  Organizations (CSOs) lobbied the government to
  convert some of the police stations to set up
  gender and children desks. This led to the
  conversion of Kilimani police station to
  exclusive handle gender based violence meted on
  women and children

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Achievements in Training through Networking

• Trainings have been done in East Africa through
  the partnership of TDH and GVRC. 250 personnel
  have been trained on child protection and
  management of gender based violence. GVRC has
  been able to share its best practices as a model
  institution in the management of GBV in East and
  Central Africa. The topics of trainings have
  included medical management, psychosocial support
  and social support. The partners in region that
  GVRC has worked with together with TDH are in
  Tanzania (Moshi and Musoma), Uganda (Kampala and
  Jinja) and Kenya (Turkana, Bondo, Nairobi) All
  these partner organization are funded by TDH to
  carry out activities geared toward the protection
  of the child in the society against all forms of
  abuse.
• Development of Training Health workers, police,
  CBOs on management of rape and PEP treatment in
  Coast region, Rift Valley and Western provinces.
  A total of 12 hospitals were trained on rape
  management, 24 doctors, 24 trauma counselors (12
  facility based and 12 community based), 24 child
  counselors, 24 community/opinion leaders, 320
  senior police officers between 2005/2006.
  Developing the manuals used in these training
  exercises such as training manuals on Rape
  Management, Trauma counseling, Child counseling
  and Gender issues.

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GAPS IN EXISTING MECHANISIMS DEALING WITH GBV

• More support to the relevant government and
  institutions is needed to integrate prevention of
  GBV and gender equality concerns into their
  emergency plans of action and improve their
  capacity to address the problem of GBV. The
  private sector and faith based organizations
  should be integrated
• There is also need for continued partnership for
  collective and effective results on Gender
  equality and empowerment of women. coordination
  mechanisms for prevention and response
  programming at the national, provincial and
  district level is important.
• Need to allocate technical and financial
  resources to security personnel to address GBV
  and especially against women and girls who are
  more vulnerable

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GAPS IN EXISTING MECHANISIMS DEALING WITH
GBVcont.

• Need for greater integration of the private
  sector, faith based organizations and civil
  societies by the government in the decision
  making processes that concern SGBV.
• Need to improve multi-sectoral prevention and
  response to GBV at the community level, through
  sustained support to sectors such as health,
  legal/justice, security and psychosocial, with a
  special focus on gaps such as availability of
  forensic examiners ,legal aid services and
  judicial response
• Need to conduct widespread community education
  aimed at prevention and ensuring survivors know
  how and where to access services.
• Need for continued capacity building and training
  on GBV.
• Better allocation of taxpayers money towards
  fighting SGBV