Response of Health System to Sexual Violence: An exploratory study of six health facilities in two districts of Maharashtra

Sexual violence is a highly stigmatising form of violence. Precisely because of this it is invisible to the public, policy makers and agencies that need to respond to it. The public health system is an important source of care for women facing violence. Not only is the health facility the location for providing urgent medical attention but even more importantly this is where evidence is gathered that would help the criminal justice system to locate the victim and bring him to book. This evidence has to be gathered systematically, giving the survivor the least distress, and stored and saved in a prescribed manner if it is to be any use in the police system. This study focuses on the response of the public health system to sexual violence.