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Abstract BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Common wisdom holds that incidences of sexual assault are on the increase throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. Every year, national statistical agencies come forth with horrifying figures suggesting the severity of the problem. But the truth is that we know relatively little about the problem and even less about how best to address it. We do know that emergency contraception (EC) can mitigate one of the most devastating outcomes of sexual assault—unwanted pregnancy—but all too often, victims are not able to access it in time. This presentation reviews the experiences of an operations research study designed to make EC more widely available to victims of sexual assault. The study is innovative in its use of nonconventional providers, specially trained police officers, to deliver EC directly to victims. This intervention also works to strengthen the capacity of the system as a whole by training health care providers to deliver quality EC services in emergency rooms as well as orienting all relevant professionals on the health, criminal, and legal processes facing victims. Based in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, this activity is currently ongoing with initial results expected in early 2006. FINDINGS: Two sets of findings emerge from this study. The first focuses on the nature of sexual violence and support-seeking behaviors in the Copperbelt Province. As formative research for this study’s pilot intervention, a rapid assessment was undertaken of police and health facility records, and of community perceptions of sexual violence and institutional support options. These data represent the first systematic look at such crimes in the province, providing insight into how, when, where, and why victims seek care following sexual assault. A second set of findings issues from the intervention itself. They reflect on the success of providing EC in police stations as well as health facilities, and comment on issues related to the training, supervision, and effectiveness of police providers. They also review the success of efforts to strengthen all aspects of the sexual violence support system, and highlight the challenges faced by the various institutions delivering victim support. EXPECTED CONCLUSIONS: As an operations research study, the primary objective of this undertaking is to test the effectiveness of a pilot intervention. As such, the conclusions will revolve around an evaluation of the intervention, including the lessons learned and a discussion of elements that can be replicated or scaled up. This page updated |
