Women Abuse: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Indian Medical Practitioners in the Lenasia Area

Abstract

Violence against women is a pervasive phenomenon in societies where women are excluded from central institutions. As a feminist, the researcher attempted to explore how medical institutions perpetuate violence against women, by exploring the knowledge, attitudes and practices of fifteen Indian General Practitioners's in the Lenasia area.

The researcher administered an interview schedule to a random sample of General Practitioners drawn from a list of general practitioners that are practicing in the Lenasia area. The researcher also suggested that a patriarchal culture contributed to the General Practitioner's perception of women abuse, and they seem not to uphold most of the myths and stereotypes about women abuse. According to General Practitioners in the study, they do refer to existing resources in cases of women abuse. However, this study did not adequately explore their actual, as opposed to their professional, attitudes to women abuse and how this impacts on their intervention procedures with women. The patriarchal, medical and ethnic culture of General Practitioners seems to be central to their knowledge, attitudes and practices.

Medical attention to women who have been abused is considered a central function of General Practitioners since this is their domain, however many of the General Practitioners do not consider representing women in court as a central role. Moreover, this study indicated that General Practitioners need to be educated around the emotional and psychosocial impact of abuse. Further more, all institutions, including the medical institution need to become more aware of the way in which their respective culture impact on the service provided to abused women.