Supporting research to end gender-based violence

01 Jan 2017

Violence against women is prevalent throughout the world and is a serious public health concern, with short- and long-term consequences. Gender-based violence can be acts of physical, psychological or sexual aggression perpetrated by a family member at home (domestic violence, including intimate partner violence), in armed conflict settings, or during displacement and repatriation. It can be challenging collecting data and overcoming barriers but there is a need for research that evaluates the efficacy and effectiveness of various responses to gender-based violence.

The Sexual Violence Research Initiative is currently holding its 4th international conference, the SVRI Forum 2015. The Forum brings together researchers, gender activists, funders, policymakers, service providers, practitioners and survivors from around the world and will showcase innovation to end sexual violence, intimate partner violence and child abuse, and strengthen responses to survivors in low and middle-income countries.

To show our support for this important health concern, International Health is making five papers freely available until 21 September 2015.

Quick links to the papers

Intimate partner violence and perinatal common mental disorders among women in rural Vietnam -  an original research paper by Jane Fisher et al, which examines the associations between different exposures to intimate partner violence and women's mental health during pregnancy and after childbirth in rural Vietnam.

Personal experiences and attitudes towards intimate partner violence in healthcare providers in Guyana – an original research paper by Seth Wright et al studying healthcare workers attitudes towards intimate partner violence and their perceived barriers to providing care.

Prevention and management strategies for the consequences of gender-based violence in refugee settings – a systematic review by Ramin Asgary et al that evaluates strategies and approaches that could prevent and/or manage gender-based violence in refugee or displaced populations.

Dowry deaths: a neglected public health issue in India – a review by Babu and Babu appraising the public health burden of mortality in India caused by the practice of dowry.

Experiences from the field: maternal, reproductive and child health data collection in humanitarian and emergency situations – a review by Nynke van den Broek looking at the challenges faced by those collecting data in humanitarian and emergency settings.

Call for papers

International Health invites submissions of original research papers and systematic reviews on all forms of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and child abuse and neglect. We publish high-quality articles with the aim of supporting the wider tropical medicine and global health community and future generations of academics, clinicians and scientists. We work hard to support our authors who trust us with their work. Here are just some of the benefits we offer:

  • An average time to first decision of less than four weeks
  • Expert international Editorial Boards
  • A dedicated and expert in-house Editorial Team
  • Advance online publication
  • Full PubMed/Medline indexing for all articles
  • A number of Open Access publishing options
  • Support for research from low and middle-income countries
  • Global dissemination of  your research
  • Promotion of your paper once published
  • Both journals are ranked in the Science Citation Index

Take a look at our journals page to find out more and submit your paper.