Addressing trauma among women and girls facing GBV in Chennai, India
Overview
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2
3
4
misinformation
Stigma
Trauma / Mental Health
Access to Care
Gender Based Violence
& its multiple facets
insecurity
wellness
sustainability
3
URGENT!
At least 2 women are sexually assaulted every hour.
A young married woman is beaten to death, burnt, or driven to suicide every 6 hours.
Compared to other states, GBV & domestic violence is normalized
26% of women have experienced physical violence from spouses.
Poverty and Gender Based Violence
Poverty in Chennai is increasing, estimated to be over 40% in 2021
91.1% of women with a family income of less than INR 2,000 (~$27) in Chennai experienced frequent physical violence
Women in poverty are at a higher risk of gender based violence
90.9% of women with a family income of less than INR 2,000 (~$27) in Chennai experienced frequent forced sex
Poverty decreases stability which increases gender based violence
The Caste System and Poverty
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Dalits (untouchables)
Brahmin
Kshatryia
Vaishya
Sudra
GBV and Mental Health
40%
40% of survivors of GBV have poor mental health
59%
Married women who justify wife beating are 59% more likely to have depressive symptoms than those who don’t
14%
14% of survivors suffer from PTSD
11-14%
11-14% of young married girls experiencing physical and sexual violence have higher depressive symptoms
Trauma Burden on Women
Financial
Unemployment and income loss
Family Responsibility
Failure to provide childcare
Social Cost
Mistrust, loss of confidence, guilt, shame, hopelessness
Mental Disorders
Depression, PTSD, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders
Self-harm and Suicide
22.4% of survivors have suicidal thoughts and 3.4% attempt suicide
Physical Symptoms
Seek help for physical symptoms rather than imperceptible emotional distress
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Women
Men
Disproportionate Amount of Global Suicides
15.7 per 100,000
(suicide rate)
compared to 10.6
global average
> 14% of the population
(1 in 7) suffer from variations of mental disorders
Massive economic loss
due to mental health conditions
36.7%
India & its
Global Disease Burden
15.7
1 in 7
$1.03 T
MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA/MISINFORMATION
Irresponsible
Supernatural
Degenerates
Sign of weakness
Demonic Possession
Black magic
Dangerous
Untreatable
Current Lack of Access to Care
Summary
Works Cited
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Alexander, Lynsey. “India's Caste System: Dalit Poverty and Inequality.” The Borgen Project, Lynsey Alexander Https://Borgenproject.org/Wp-Content/Uploads/The_Borgen_Project_Logo_small.Jpg, 25 Feb. 2021, borgenproject.org/dalit-poverty/.
Harbishettar, Vijaykumar, and Suresh Bada Math. “Violence against Women in India: Comprehensive Care for Survivors.” The Indian Journal of Medical Research, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, Aug. 2014, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4216486/#ref3.
Patel, Ratna, et al. “Experience of Gender-Based Violence and Its Effect on Depressive Symptoms among Indian Adolescent Girls: Evidence from UDAYA Survey.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0248396.
Srivastava, Kalpana, et al. “Mental Health Awareness: The Indian Scenario.” Industrial Psychiatry Journal, Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5479084/.
Suniti Solomon, Ramnath Subbaraman. “Domestic Violence and Forced Sex Among the Urban Poor in South India: Implications for HIV Prevention - Suniti Solomon, Ramnath Subbaraman, Sunil S. Solomon, Aylur K. Srikrishnan, Sethulakshmi C. Johnson, C.K. Vasudevan, Santhanam Anand, Aylur K. Ganesh, David D. Celentano, 2009.” SAGE Journals, journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1077801209334602.
“Women and Poverty.” UN Women, www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/end-violence-against-women/2014/poverty