Survivors of child and adolescent sexual abuse and the role of health care providers to identify, care and link to services

Résumé

Child and adolescent sexual abuse causes a range of physical, psychological, emotional and social consequences. Children and adolescents are at higher risk experiencing sexual abuse due their dependence on adults and limited ability to protect themselves and to recognize and disclose abuse.

With additional risks and vulnerabilities during displacement and conflict, there is a variety of vulnerabilities and barriers in the uptake of services due to challenges linked to barriers at community level but also at health facility level due to lack of HCP’s (Health Care Providers) ability to recognize and identify sexual abuse.

To create awareness of the importance of the critical role of the health care provider (HCP) to create access, to identify and to provide a comprehensive quality medical package of care adapted to the age, needs and context.

Presentation of different models and approaches used, creating access to and providing quality medical care to children and adolescents survivors of sexual violence.

Health programs can increase the numbers of children and adolescents accessing medical care if HCP’s are trained and supported identifying sexual abuse, providing quality child or adolescent-centred care and to connect survivors to services they urgently need.

Taking into account the devastating scale of sexual abuse across the world, medical humanitarians can never be satisfied with the current response, as the numbers of children and adolescents survivors cared for, still only represent a tiny minority, therefore the HCP must be trained and supported to fulfill their critical role.

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