Women who are Victims of Physical Violence in Dakar: Description and Difficulties of Care

Authors: Ndoye EHO*, Dia AS, Diallo AM, Badiane SM and Soumah MM

DOI: 10.23880/ijfsc-16000159

Volume 4, Issue 1

Abstract

Domestic violence is nowadays regarded as a public health problem, so doctors must be the sentinels for the early detection and care of abused women and their children. This study aims to determine some characteristics of physical domestic violence in our context of practice, as well as the prominent place of the attending physician. This is a retrospective study in the region of Dakar at the level of the " Woman’s House or Law Boutique" localized in the districts of the Medina and Pikine over a period of six years. The "Law Boutique" is an institution set up by the Senegalese Lawyers Association to provide free legal advice and assistance to women victims of violence. The main violent people are husbands with 98%. We found that 16% of the victims had localized injuries including 43% head injury, 43% at the limb level and 14% in other areas of the body. Only 12% of victims have a medical certificate; 63% of which are issued by general practitioners, 37% by specialized doctors. Medical certificates were readable at 69%, and 31.2% of victims received treatment. The doctor should not only be limited to the medical care but they must both instigate awareness of abused women and inform them about their fundamental rights and freedoms. Thus, they must improve their training in order to detect domestic violence and their collaboration with judicial authorities to minimize the risks.

Keywords: Domestic violence; Physical violence; Women

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