[CIMSIGHT #5] The Unseen and Unheard: Breaking the Silence on GBV

This diagram is a powerful reminder that Gender-Based Violence is not just a personal issue, but it’s a serious, life-threatening public health crisis. It shows how one act of violence can spiral into injury, trauma, disease, disability, or even death.

Problem Statement

So, to effectively address Gender-Based Violence (GBV), we must first acknowledge the systemic barriers that enable its continuation. GBV is not only rooted in power imbalances but also perpetuated by silence, stigma, and institutional neglect.

1. Widespread Ignorance GBV continues to rise in part because it remains unseen or willfully ignored. Many violations happen in plain sight — in homes, schools, workplaces, and clinics — yet they are dismissed, minimized, or normalized within society.

2. Silenced Survivors Fear, shame, and stigma prevent many survivors from speaking out or seeking help. Even when legal protections exist, survivors often lack the support systems or social acceptance necessary to come forward safely.

3. Gaps in Medical Education Medical students and future healthcare professionals are rarely trained to respond to GBV with the sensitivity it requires. There is a critical gap in medical curricula regarding how to recognize, support, and care for survivors — especially when it comes to their emotional, psychological, and social needs.

DID YOU KNOW – Gender-Based Violence is one of the IFMSA Programs, which means that IFMSA underscores its urgency. GBV is a health emergency, a human rights violation, and a global responsibility.

Identifying Gender-Based Violence: Listening Between the Lines

Gender-Based Violence doesn’t always leave visible wounds. Survivors may walk into clinics with headaches, stomach pain, or fatigue,  but beneath these symptoms lies something deeper. As future healthcare providers, we must learn to see what isn’t said and hear what isn’t voiced.

1. Physical signs:
   – Unexplained bruises, burns, and fractures
   – Delayed visits for injuries
   
2. Behavioral signs:
   – Fearfulness, anxiety, and depression
   – Hesitation to speak in front of a partner
   – Withdrawn or submissive demeanor
   
3. Verbal cues:
   – Describing themselves as “controlled” or “monitored”
   – Expressing guilt, self-blame, or hopelessness
   
4. Situational red flags:
   – Always accompanied, never alone
   – No access to money, ID, or phone
   – Repeated missed appointments or canceled follow-ups
5. Mental health issues:
   – Depression
   – Panic attacks
   – PTSD
   
6. Sexual & reproductive health problems:
   – STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections)
   – Unwanted pregnancies
   
7. Substance use:
   – Alcohol
   – Tobacco
   – Drug dependency
   

8. Self-harm or suicidal thoughts

What Can We Do As Medical Students 

1. Advocacy
   Advocacy is a strategic process to influence the policies, practices, or systems that affect people’s lives. It’s about speaking up, taking action, and holding decision-makers accountable. Here are the roles of medical students in advocacy : 

   A. Amplifying Vulnerable Voices
   Medical students are crucial in giving a platform to historically marginalized communities, ensuring their health needs and challenges are heard.

   B. Bridging Frontline to Global
   They bring direct, on-the-ground perspectives from healthcare systems to international policy discussions, connecting real-world issues with global strategies.

   C. Mobilizing Communities
   Medical students are effective in fostering awareness and catalyzing grassroots action within communities, empowering individuals to address health challenges.

   D. Connecting Local and Global Policy
   Medical students act as vital links, translating local health realities and needs into relevant input for global health decision-making spaces.

   E. Driving Youth-Led Innovation
   As future healthcare professionals, medical students are uniquely positioned to spearhead and implement innovative, youth-driven solutions for current and emerging health crises.
   

   Advocacy allows us to promote the rights, needs, and concerns of people who are too often ignored. Advocacy also ensures that no one is left behind during a crisis. 

2. MHPSS (Mental Health and Psychosocial Support) dan PFA (Psychological First Aid)
   Before we explain about MHPSS and PFA, you have to know about mental health. Mental health is a state of well-being in which every individual realizes their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to their community. Mental health is a basic human right, but in many places, formal mental health services do not exist. One of the impacts of the crisis of mental health stress. There are four types of stress.