International Medical Corps
GLOBAL FIRST RESPONDER
Throughout the world, violence against women is a pervasive public health and human rights issue, affecting the physical and mental health of women and girls and tearing families and communities apart. Worldwide, one in three women have been beaten, coerced into sex, or abused in some way, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The toll is enormous, costing billions of dollars in social, judicial, and health costs, in addition to lost productivity and wages.
International Medical Corps integrates innovative strategies into its core programs to address gender-based violence (GBV), which is defined as actual or threatened physical, sexual, and psychological violence that occurs either within the family or in the broader community. We take a holistic approach to all of our GBV programs so that we not only treat the physical and psychological aftermath of abuse, but also prevent future cases through community education and outreach.
International Medical Corps has conducted successful programs to prevent and respond to GBV in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Russia. These programs are implemented in areas of armed conflict and post-conflict, as part of more stable community-based development and capacity-building projects, and as a component of integrated health programs related to HIV/AIDS, nutrition or reproductive health.