Address unmet needs of ‘silent pandemic’, SGBV

Imagine going through rape or any other form of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) but all you can get are services focused on the physical health.

You are experiencing fear, panic attacks, anxiety, self-blame, flashbacks, nightmares and other mental health outcomes of SGBV. For a moment, or even your entire life, you remain with the trauma and unresolved issues from the abuse. 

Sadly, this is the agony of most survivors, who often cannot access mental health services for lack of awareness, cost implication and inaccessibility.

Mental health problems are among the contributors to the global burden of diseases and disabilities with depression, PTSD, anxiety, suicidal ideation, substance abuse and complex trauma being identified as the most diagnosed illnesses in SGBV survivors. Furthermore, the stigma that one goes through worsens these conditions. 

The impact goes beyond the survivors to their families because exposure of children to violence could lead to long-term mental and social impact, girls who experience or witness violence are more likely to be in the place of victims in adulthood while boys are likely to take perpetrator’s position.

Despite the fact that mental health interventions play a critical role in mitigating the mental impact of SGBV, Kenya has inadequate mental health specialists and related services are not integrated within primary healthcare; many survivors resort to out-of-pocket payment for mental health services.

Prevention and response

These gaps increase mental health-related vulnerabilities to populations such as people living in informal settlements, persons with disabilities, people living with HIV, pregnant women and refugees, who often face a high burden of intimate partner violence and mental complications contributed by other social determinants.

During the June 30-July 2 Generation Equality Forum in Paris, President Uhuru Kenyatta commendably committed $23 million (Sh2.3 billion) for SGBV prevention and response by 2022 and increased resource allocation to $50 million by 2026. 

The government and other stakeholders should, therefore, put in place comprehensive healthcare services for survivors of violence, including GSBV. 

Furthermore, the universal health coverage (UHC) programme should be designed in a way that addresses the specific needs of survivors of violence including the need for a variety, quality, effective and affordable mental health services.

The police and other first responders — such as community health volunteers, teachers and religious leaders — should be trained on Psychological First Aid to facilitate social, physical and psychological support. 

Finally, there is a need to strengthen research on areas of mental health and SGBV to facilitate evidence-based interventions.

Ms Obonyo, a Young African Leaders Initiative (Yali) Fellow, is a youth advocate with Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK). [email protected]