In an introduction to the course for their staff, Interior Health comment:

Gender-based violence is a serious health issue that impacts many people in Canada, especially women and girls.  It takes many forms, including intimate partner violence and sexual assault.  One of every three women worldwide has reported being physically and/or sexually violated by an intimate partner, and in general girls have a 2.5-3 times higher risk of sexual assault than boys.

The effects of gender-based violence are vast and can include: ongoing emotional issues; plans or acts of self-harm or suicide; frequent, repeated, not-well-explained injuries; unwanted pregnancies; and unexplained chronic pain, among others.

They express strongly that: “It is essential to improve the health-care response to gender-based violence in order to better support survivors in their disclosures, and to shift the public perception to emphasize that gender-based violence is unacceptable.”

The Gender-Based Violence:  We All Can Help Improving the Health Sector’s Response course is designed to assist with understanding, identify, responding to, and addressing the impacts of gender-based violence, was created for anyone who works in the health sector.  Through videos and self-paced activities, it teaches skills and techniques for responding to disclosures of gender-based violence, as well as addressing the impacts of vicarious trauma, which may arise for some who work with survivors.  A video trailer for the course is available at: http://www.bcwomens.ca/health-professionals/professional-resources/addressing-gender-based-violence/gender-based-violence-learning-series

The developers of the course comment, “Given how common gender-based violence is and the wide range of physical and mental health effects it has, everyone – from the bedside to the board room – has a role in responding to gender-based violence and addressing its impact.” 

The four-part course components can be taken separately or together.  Each is designed to take about one hour to complete.  The topics include:

1. Understanding Gender-Based Violence
2. Identifying Gender-Based Violence
3. Responding to Gender-Based Violence
4. Addressing the Impacts of Gender-Based Violence

Registration for the course is at https://learninghub.phsa.ca/Courses/17362/gender-based-violence and for more information, contact pop.health@cw.bc.ca