key elements for providing care and support for victims of gender-based violence
4. Minimising the problem Some people minimise situations of violence , seeing them as part of an ongoing pattern (childhood violence, domestic violence, harassment, etc.), or as part of a general background of violence (as is the case in so many conflicts for example): violence is thus trivialised and considered a fact of life by victims. 182
“Ignorance about what sexual violence is and about its physical, psychological and social consequences contributes yet further to the trivialising of such crimes. When the victims are girls living in the streets, the indifference is even more marked and such violence continues to be perpetrated with impunity, increasing the girls’ feeling of helplessness. The trivialising of this violence by the community, the authorities and the perpetrators means that the victims themselves come to view these acts as normal. Acts of violence are commonplace when one is a girl living in the streets.” MdM, “La rue, c’est la chance?”, Surveys of sexual exploitation and violence involving young girls in the streets of Kinshasa, 8th March 2009.
For others, minimising the problem is a way of protecting themselves at psychological level: they try to manage the impact of the violence and minimise the severity of the consequences. Therefore they may refuse to recall painful memories and may avoid anything that reminds them of the violence, as their main priority is to forget. 182. J osse E., “Déceler les violences sexuelles faites aux femmes”, 2007. 183. For more information, see the section relating to the typology of gender-based violence on page 52.
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5. Financial and geographical barriers to access
3H
In addition to the obstacles associated with the ways violence is perceived and represented, financial and geographical barriers severely hinder victims’ access to care and support. In many situations, there are few facilities able to meet the needs of individuals who have suffered gender-based violence. Those that do exist are centralised in large villages and cities and very often charge for their services. Many victims of violence do not have sufficient means to attend these facilities and benefit from care and support, either because they are from poor socioeconomic backgrounds or because they are victims of economic violence183 and cannot freely dispose of the household income. Distance from care facilities is also an issue, as violence often results in physical and/or mental health problems that prevent victims from making long journeys. In situations of conflict, these difficulties are made worse by a state of insecurity that may restrict travel. Where care and support options are limited or nonexistent, service providers may be reluctant to identify victims of violence, as they do not have the option of then referring them to other carers.
2 / Obstacles related to care providers’ 1. Prejudices Care providers often share the prejudices of their communities towards violence and seek to justify such acts using arguments 277