Routledge Violence against Women and Girls: Understanding Responses and Approaches in the Indian Health Sector

This book discusses the pervasiveness of violence against women (VAW) in India and traces its evolution as a public health concern. It highlights the fundamental relationship between health and violence and identifies institutional gaps, which hinder comprehensive healthcare and support to VAW survivors.The volume brings together in-depth case studies from various states and civil society organisations on their initiatives to help bring adequate support and health services to women affected by VAW. These include engagement with hospitals to increase awareness and sensitivity among health service providers and community-run health clinics for marginalised women. The book documents the mobilising efforts of feminists, community-based organisations, state institutions, and CSOs in developing comprehensive healthcare responses and bringing violence against women into the public health discourse. It provides insights into the lack of guidelines for responding to sexual violence in medical and nursing education, and the way that the police and the justice system function in India.This book will be of interest to public health professionals, and students and researchers in public health, gender studies, social work, and sociology. It will also be useful for policymakers and for professionals working for thinktanks or CSOs working on developing health system responses to VAW. About the Author Sangeeta Rege is the Coordinator of the Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT), a non-profit working on health and human rights, and leads the organisation towards research and interventions on the health concerns of marginalised people.Padma Bhate-Deosthali is Senior Advisor at the Centre for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT), and Consultant at Care India Bihar. She has 20 years of experience in research, training, and policy advocacy in the areas of gender-based violence, gender in medical education, and health policy research.T K Sundari Ravindran is Principal Visiting Fellow at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, and Visiting Faculty at the School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.