Indicator 16: The national health policies address VAWG

VAWG damages the physical and mental health of women. Hence a national health policy specifically addressing and formulating the care of victims of VAWG is especially important. The index countries have not developed national health policies. There are however some partial measures in particular fields, like the Egyptian strategy developed by the National Council for Motherhood and Childhood (NCCM) to address genital mutilations, the health care policy to address gender-based violence in Lebanon, or the Palestinian national health strategy about sexual awareness, sexually transmitted diseases, and adolescent and youth health.

Countries

Algeria

There is no national health policy that addresses VAWG.

Egypt

There is no national health policy that addresses VAWG. However, NCCM has developed a National Strategy for Childhood and Motherhood (2017– 2030) and an Action Plan (2017– 2021). It is also developing a plan to combat violence against children, particularly addressing early marriage and FGM.

Jordan

The Ministry of Health launched a Strategic Plan 2018-2022. The plan has seven pillars that include programs for women and children’s health. One of them addresses primary healthcare and focuses on reproductive health, decreasing mortality rates of mothers, and providing reproductive health and maternity services in most primary healthcare centres.

Lebanon

There is no national health policy that addresses VAWG. However, the former Office of the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs developed in 2018 a strategy for gender equality and gender-based violence including health care policy to respond to VAWG referrals.

Morocco

The Ministry of Health established in 2017 the National Health Program for Supporting Women and Children Victims of Violence. It aims at enhancing prevention by actively detecting cases of unreported violence so that health professionals can monitor and handle them appropriately. A unit for combating violence against women and children was created in the Ministry of Health in 2002 to work on the provision of a comprehensive, integrated and effective support and treatment for the victims of violence.

Palestine

There is no national health policy that is specifically intended to address VAWG. However, the 2017–2022 National Health Strategy endorses the need for cross-sectorial cooperation to support gender and youth health, including sexual awareness; adolescents and youth health; sexually transmitted diseases; women’s empowerment; and health care for women and men at different stages of life. It also strives to implement a national referral system for women victims of violence.

Tunisia

There is no national health policy that addresses VAWG. However, the law on eliminating violence against women requires ministries to provide special units for women victims of violence as well as health and psychosocial services. Article 18 of the Tunisia’s State budget law (13/2/2019) declares that each public policy must include goals and indicators guaranteeing equality between men and women and equal opportunities between them.

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2020 Regional Index on VAWG