The emotional and psychological effects of sexual violence.

The emotional and psychological effects of sexual violence.

In an incident that has left the country enraged and demanding for answers, sparking public outrage, a saddening incident that unfortunately occurred a day before the International Women's day, a day designed to celebrate and uplift women.

Sexual assault can take many different forms and be defined in different ways, but one thing remains, it’s never the victims fault.

Sexual Violence however affects both men and women. It has long lasting psychological effects on the survivor. In the society we live in, many victims are left blaming themselves and asking themselves what they could have done differently to avoid such an incident happening to them.

Age and gender are vulnerabilities that predispose women and girls to exploitation and abuse; In early stages of conflict, these vulnerabilities are further increased due to the breakdown of law and order as seen in the incident which has since been shared by millions.

The absence of systems that would respond to distress signals and the lack of adequate services that would minimize the effects of sexual violence.

One issue that was coming up in the subsequent discussions was how many cases of sexual violence go unpunished and how many go unseen.

Any form of sexual violence retards the development of the society.

Sexual violence requires a multidisciplinary approach from police officers, doctors, psychologists, human rights activists and legal services all with the common goal of assisting the survivor to get justice.

The medical management of sexual violence survivors has never been so emphasized. The health care worker at the first point of contact with the victim is responsible for examining the patient and recording vital information in a detailed and elaborate Post Rape Care (PRC) form.

In addition he/she is responsible for collecting crucial evidence which will be presented in a court of law. This could make or break the case. Proper management of evidence proves that sexual violence occurred and the perpetrator can be linked to the crime.

Not to delve into the forensic aspects of evidence collection and appearance as an expert witness in court, today I wanted to discuss one of the far reaching questions the trauma that comes after an incident like sexual violence or assault.

Exposure of an individual to sexual assault/violence can lead to direct effects experienced by the survivor or by close family members.

The victim may develop intrusive symptoms associated with the traumatic events after the incident either as distressing memories of the traumatic events, distressing dreams, flashbacks.

Individuals tend to avoid memories, thoughts or feelings associated with the traumatic events. Individuals experience persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs about themselves.

The person may have distorted causes of the traumatic incident leading them to blame themselves or others for the traumatic event.

Subsequently they can develop a negative emotional state experiencing fear, horror, guilt or shame. They can reduce interest or involvement in activities they once enjoyed. It is possible that they become detached from other people.

In addition, the stimuli associated with the trauma are persistently avoided. The duration is 1 month from the traumatic incident.

These signs and symptoms briefly summarized are some of the characteristics of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which can be one of the far reaching consequences following a traumatic event such as sexual violence/assault.

It is a step in the right direction when various agencies including counselling teams, legal teams, police officers move with haste and act in the best interest of the victim.

For more information about sexual offences read up on

https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---ilo_aids/documents/legaldocument/wcms_127528.pdf

https://covaw.or.ke/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/POLICE-EMERGENCY-NUMBERS.pdf

https://theconversation.com/why-attitudes-towards-sexual-violence-in-kenya-need-a-major-refresh-100033