Faculty at BU Study Intimate Partner Violence

A study conducted by the World Health Organization found that one in three women experience Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) at some point during their lifetime, making it the most prevalent form of violence against women. Given this statistic, how should our healthcare policies and practices address the issue of gender-based violence? 

A Sargent College faculty member, in collaboration with a University of Massachusetts Boston colleague, served as co-editors of a special topic “Engaging health systems to address intimate partner violence and advance women’s sexual and reproductive health and human rights,” for the journal Frontiers in Reproductive Health.

The special topic is a collection of eight published articles, representing the research of over 50 authors from all over the world. In writing an editorial on the topic, they hope to inform national and global healthcare policies around IPV and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). 

Dr. Shelley Brown, a co-editor for the piece, tells us:

“Through the editorial process, publication of the collection and webinar, we engaged with dozens of researchers working in this important space of intimate partner violence, and our goal was to bring this vital body of work together in one place to amplify voices, surface emerging evidence across the globe, and cast a brighter light on a global health challenge that demands urgent attention and policy action.”

The studies they draw from emphasize an integrated model of healthcare intervention. In doing so, they consider the external factors around IPV or SRHR, recognizing it within a web of different health and well-being contexts. For example, one study in Uganda found that addressing climate and environmental stressors (such as droughts or floods) reported positive shifts in IPV cases. By combining environmental protections and government health services, integrated models proved effective at addressing underlying triggers in IPV cases.

The studies all employed diverse methods to understand IPV and the structural conditions underlying each situation. 

“Ultimately, research indicates that when they function optimally, health systems can become transformative social systems of care and support for women,” the co-editors explain. 

Read more about the article.

Story by Jieun Paik