Supporting health system responses to violence against women and children in Timor-Leste
Led by Senior Research Fellow Dr. Kayli Wild, the Institute is one of several agencies supporting a sustainable health system response to violence against women and children in Timor-Leste, through collaborative partnerships and rigorous research.
The inter-agency team has developed, piloted and refined a set of training material and learning resources based on the WHO in-service curriculum on responding to violence against women, as well as formative research in Timor-Leste with women survivors of violence, midwives and community leaders.
These learning materials, videos and reports can be used by Governments, Universities, NGOs and anyone striving to transform health systems to be safer, more empathic and supportive places for people who have been subjected to domestic violence, sexual assault or child abuse.
The pre-service training course is available in English and Tetum, and is suitable for a variety of health professionals and country settings, but is particularly targeted to nurses, midwives and doctors in Timor-Leste. Upon completion of the course, health providers will be competent in:
- Understanding domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse as public health issues
- Identifying signs of abuse and knowing when and how to ask about violence in a sensitive way
- Practising women-centred care and being able to communicate with empathy
- Enhancing women and children’s safety and providing referral and ongoing support
- Practising self-care and collaboration with colleagues