Return-Path: <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.9.3/8.9.0.Beta5/980425bjb) with SMTP id QAA01696; Mon, 24 Jan 2000 16:02:30 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 24 Jan 2000 16:02:30 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <s88c59d4.055@langate.gsu.edu> Errors-To: alcrsb@langate.gsu.edu Reply-To: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Daphne Greenberg" <ALCDGG@langate.gsu.edu> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-womenlit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WOMENLIT:449] Re: New International Report on Abuse X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 5.5.2.1 Status: OR I was wondering. Have any of you included a health literacy curriculum in your programs? Did the curriculum include anything on domestic violence? Daphne Greenberg Center for the Study of Adult Literacy Georgia State University University Plaza Atlanta, GA 30303-3083 Fax: 404-651-1415 Ph: 404-651-0400 E-mail: alcdgg@langate.gsu.edu >>> Ansongreen@aol.com 01/20 8:57 PM >>> Friends, Today a new comprehensive report was released on domestic violence. The press release follows. The full report is available at: http://www.jhuccp.org/pr/l11edsum.stm As ever, Anson Study: Third of All Women Abused By SHEILA HOTCHKIN .c The Associated Press BALTIMORE (Jan. 20) - One of every three women worldwide has been beaten, raped or somehow mistreated, according to a sweeping new report that says violence against women should be treated as a global health problem rather than just a law enforcement matter. ``I see the health care setting as an opportunity - and right now, it's an opportunity lost,'' said co-author Lori Heise, who visited at least 20 countries during the past decade, collecting data from 2,000 domestic violence studies. ``It's an opportunity to perhaps prevent a health problem from materializing.'' Authors of ``Ending Violence Against Women,'' released Thursday by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the Center for Health and Gender Equity, say it is the first study to take a worldwide look at violence against women. Besides immediate physical injuries, abuse has also been linked to problem pregnancies, substance abuse, gastrointestinal disorders and chronic pain syndromes, perhaps due to anxiety, the study said. ``Women who have a history of abuse are at much higher risk of having these chronic conditions than other women,'' said Heise, the co-director of the Center for Health and Gender Equity. Anywhere from 22 percent to 70 percent of the women interviewed had never told anyone about abuse they suffered, according to the studies compiled in the report. Heise also said the report included studies that, for the first time, linked child mortality to mothers' abusive relationships. A Nicaraguan study concluded that children of abused women were six times more likely than other children to die before age 5. An Indian study also found that women who had been beaten were more likely than other women to face miscarriages, stillbirths or infant deaths. Other studies linked abuse to miscarriages, premature labor and fetal distress. ``We don't understand what's operating there because people are just beginning to look at it,'' Heise said. The report said that the health care system is the only institution that interacts with nearly all women during their lives, giving health professionals an ideal vantage point to identify and assist victims of abuse. Dr. John Nelson, a gynecologist and spokesman for the American Medical Association, said he agreed ``unequivocally.'' ``The bottom line is physicians and all health care workers are in a unique position to determine if inappropriate relationships exist and intervene very early in the game,'' Nelson said. Cincinnati Police Lt. Kathleen Howard, who has taught classes on domestic violence at the police academy for more than a decade, acknowledged the limitations of law enforcement in addressing the problem. ``The problem is we're reactive,'' Howard said. ``Until an incident happens, we can't go there and watch them. We can't take any action until they do something.'' Anson Green 1999/2000 NIFL Fellow Corporate and Community Development Northwest Vista College 3535 N. Ellison Drive San Antonio, Texas 78251 210-348-2398 http://members.aol.com/ansongreen/welcome.html
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue Jan 16 2001 - 14:46:32 EST