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Preparing Private Hospitals to Manage Gender-Based Violence

A 2007 Demographic Health Survey in Jordan found that violence against women is both common and often seen as acceptable. Approximately one-third of ever-married women age 15-49 reported they had been hit, slapped, kicked, or subjected to some other form of physical violence. The same survey indicated that 90% of women polled found wife beating an acceptable practice, probably explaining the small number of women who seek treatment and support. In 2007, PSP Jordan took the initiative to form a partnership with leading women’s organizations and high level officials and government agencies to address violence against women practices. This brief explains how the partnership worked with private hospitals to sensitize them to this issue and create a strategy to respond to it, which included training programs for hospital staff and the formation of gender based violence policies at the participating hospitals.