WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION Guidelines on How to Respond to Children and Adolescents who have been Sexually Abused

"Health workers should minimize the need for survivors to repeatedly tell their history. Always listen attentively when survivors recount their stories, and don’t interpret or judge their account."

Ian Askew, WHO Director, Department of Reproductive Health and Research

First, always provide care without discrimination. This means, recognize that a woman may face multiple forms of discrimination – in addition to being a woman; because of her race, ethnicity, class, socio-economic background, caste, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or other characteristics – or because she has been subjected to violence.

Second, never raise the issue of partner violence unless a woman is alone. Even if she is with another woman, that woman could be the mother or sister of an abuser. If you do ask her about violence, do it in an empathic, nonjudgmental manner. Always use language that is appropriate and relevant to the culture and community you are working in, as some women may be uncomfortable with the words “violence” and “abuse”.

Last, remember the principle of “do no harm”. Health workers should minimize the need for survivors to repeatedly tell their history. Always listen attentively when survivors recount their stories, and don’t interpret or judge their account.

Envisioning a world without violence

The Global Plan of Action envisions a world in which women and girls are free from all forms of violence and discrimination, their health and well-being are protected and promoted, their human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully achieved, and gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are the norm.

Health workers have a duty to protect and support survivors of violence, and to help to prevent further violence. As we continue to hear so many #metoo stories, it’s time for #youtoo to do your part.

WHO published new clinical guidelines Responding to children and adolescents who have been sexually abused aimed at helping front-line health workers, primarily from low resource settings, in providing evidence-based, quality, trauma-informed care to survivors

The guidelines emphasize the importance of promoting safety, offering choices and respecting the wishes and autonomy of children and adolescents. They cover recommendations for post-rape care and mental health; and approaches to minimizing distress in the process of taking medical history, conducting examination and documenting findings.

Sexual abuse of children and adolescents is a gross violation of their rights and a global public health problem. It adversely affects the health of children and adolescents. Health care providers are in a unique position to provide an empathetic response to children and adolescents who have been sexually abused. Such a response can go a long way in helping survivors recover from the trauma of sexual abuse.

Publication details

Number of pages: 73
Publication date: 2017
Languages: English
ISBN: 978-92-4-155014-7

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World Health Organization recommends farmers stop using antibiotics in healthy animals because over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance

Farmers and the food industry should stop using antibiotics routinely to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals, the United Nations health agency said on Tuesday.

“A lack of effective antibiotics is as serious a security threat as a sudden and deadly disease outbreak,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) in a news release on the new guideline aimed at helping preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for humans by reducing their unnecessary use in animals.

“Strong, sustained action across all sectors is vital if we are to turn back the tide of antimicrobial resistance and keep the world safe,” he added.

In some countries, some 80 per cent of the total consumption of medically important antibiotics is in the animal sector, largely for growth promotion in healthy animals.

Over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans is contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance. Some types of bacteria that cause serious infections in humans have already developed resistance to most or all of the available treatments, and there are very few promising options in the research pipeline.

WHO strongly recommends an overall reduction in the use of all classes of medically important antibiotics in food-producing animals, including complete restriction of these antibiotics for growth promotion and disease prevention without diagnosis.

Healthy animals should only receive antibiotics to prevent disease if it has been diagnosed in other animals in the same flock, herd, or fish population, according to the updated WHO guidelines on use of medically important antimicrobials in food-producing animals.

Many countries have already taken action to reduce the use of antibiotics in food-producing animals. For example, since 2006, the European Union has banned the use of antibiotics for growth promotion. Consumers are also driving the demand for meat raised without routine use of antibiotics, with some major food chains adopting “antibiotic-free” policies for their meat supplies.

Alternative options to using antibiotics for disease prevention in animals include improving hygiene, better use of vaccination, and changes in animal housing and husbandry practices.

Source: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58046#.Wga-X9KnFH0