International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The FIGO General Assembly,

Considering that violence against women in all its forms is widely prevalent throughout and that it is a gross violation of women?s human rights;

Recognizing that it has serious adverse consequences on the physical, mental and reproductive health of women and can also have serious effects on the health of their infants and children (particularly when they are also victims or in the case of children witnesses);

Recognizing the need for developing special expertise and specialized care for meeting the needs of women who suffer violence; and

Recalling the 1993 UN Declaration on Violence Against Women and the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women;

Supporting the Recommendations reached by the FIGO Committee for the Study of Ethical Aspects of Human Reproduction

1. Invites Member Societies to:

(1) Urge their governments to implement the recommendations made by the Beijing Platform for Action and to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of ALL Forms of Discrimination Against Women if they have not already done so, and to ensure its implementation if they have already ratified it.

(2) Urge their governments to take legal and other measures needed to make violence against women unacceptable to all groups in society.

(3) Ensure that violence against women is included in the curricula of all reproductive health care providers, in the specialist training of ob/gyns and in programs for continuing education and that the health system does not in any way contribute to the victimization of women.

(4) Collaborate with national authorities, non-governmental and inter-governmental organizations and the media to promote and support measures to prevent and address the consequences of violence against women, and to communicate with the appropriate bodies to provide an effective safety net for women suffering from violence.

2. Recommends that obstetricians and gynaecologists:

(1) Educate themselves, other health professionals and community workers about the extent, types, and negative consequences of violence against women.

(2) Increase their ability to identify women who are experiencing violence and to provide supportive counselling and appropriate treatment and referral.

(3) Work with others to better the understanding of the problem by documenting the determinants of violence against women and its harmful consequences.

(4) Assist in the legal prosecution of cases of sexual abuse and rape by careful and sensitive documentation of the evidence.

(5) Support those who are working to end violence against women in their families and in communities.