The Law on Sexual Violence that was passed in April 2022 mandates that the government is responsible for fulfilling the rights of victims of sexual violence to treatment, protection and recovery, including the right to health services including medical examination, action and treatment as stipulated in Article 68 of Law No. 12 of 2022.
Furthermore, Article 39 paragraph 2 specifically states that medical personnel or health workers if they are aware of suspected criminal acts of sexual violence are obliged to inform the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) of the Integrated Service Center (PPT), technical implementation units and regional technical implementation units in the social sector, Community-Based Service Provider Institutions, and / or the police.
The Central Sulawesi Women’s Equality Struggle Group (KPKPST) currently has 20 assisted villages, each of which has a Women’s Friendly Space that is the first point of contact for complaints of violence against women and children. RRP volunteers (task force and members) also provide assistance to victims to access services to which they are already entitled.
Unlike in big cities where health services are well-established with many options, in villages, midwives are the most accessible health workers to the community. Knowledge of gender-based violence and early response needs to be possessed by each of these health workers to support the implementation of the Sexual Violence Law No. 12 of 2022.
The training took place on September 2-4, 2022 and was facilitated by Mitra Kadarsih, Soraya Sultan and Marcia Soumokil at Jazz Hotel, Palu.
On the first day, participants learned about Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence, and listened to each other’s experience in handling health cases related to these. Participants were also introduced to the law on handling cases of violence against women and children on the same day. Then the facilitator explained the material on Respectful Midwifery Care or women-centered health services. In this session, participants were divided into several groups to discuss: the philosophy and principles of midwifery services, describe the role and position of midwives towards women, describe women’s health and reproductive rights, etc.
The facilitator also introduced the 8 steps of Clinical Management of Rape or Sexual Violence which helps midwives to recognize cases of sexual violence. Participants also learned about the referral flow mechanism for sexual violence cases to other health facilities.
