reproductive health services for adolescents - Pathfinder International

Module 16/Trainer's Tools
Provider believes that sexual abuse does not occur with his/her patients.
Sexual abuse happens in all societies regardless of ethnicity, class, or whether the
person is from a rural or urban area.
Belief that sexual abuse is so prevalent that it is seen as a normal part of life.
Health programs need to provide training that includes empirical evidence to help
providers recognize that sexual abuse is a serious problem with tangible health
consequences.
There are no services for survivors of sexual abuse in my community/country, so
why bother to screen for sexual abuse
This is a serious and legitimate concern. There is a need for health programs to
investigate the resources in their community and build links with those services. Also
screening for sexual abuse serves the purpose of recognizing sexual abuse as a RH
problem. The first step is to create community awareness on the issue. Some health
programs have started their own programs to deal with sexual abuse in communities
where services are lacking.
Belief that screening for sexual abuse is not the provider’s responsibility.
Sexual abuse is an RH issue and, therefore, screening for sexual abuse is the
provider’s responsibility. If left untreated, sexual abuse can often lead to more
complicated RH problems later on. The provider is often the only one who has the
opportunity to screen for sexual abuse and therefore should make sure that screening
for sexual abuse is part of every RH visit.
Source: IPPF. 2000. The link between gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health.
BASTA! New York: IPPF.
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Adolescent Curriculum