Action against violence
“Every 10 minutes, a woman is killed.”
This was the stark reminder shared as individuals and organisations around the world marked 25 years since the UN designated 25 November, as the .
Violence, abuse and coercive behaviour can have serious mental health implications.
Earlier this year, we shared the results of findings from the Women and Mental Health survey carried out with members, which highlighted that violence and abuse are driving mental illness in women and girls.
The College is currently developing its first Women and Mental Health Strategy, led by joint Presidential Leads for Women’s Mental Health, Dr Philippa Greenfield and Dr Cath Durkin.
Dr Philippa Greenfield said:
"While our strategy is still in development, research carried out this year has confirmed what we already knew - that gender-based violence continues to be one of the biggest issues faced by women and girls.
"Accelerating efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls is a collective responsibility for us all. This will be one of three key areas of focus in our strategy, with recommendations being developed to improve services and better support our workforce."
To mark this day and , we are making the eLearning module: available free to anyone with an RCPsych account from 4-10 December. This module will improve your knowledge of the relationship between domestic abuse and mental health and enable you to identify and safely respond to those at risk.
This coincides with the Women and Mental Health Special Interest Group (WMHSIG) annual conference taking place next week: Women’s bodies: harm and healing.
Please also see this useful resource to access and share across your networks: .
Additionally, all of our CPD eLearning podcasts are available to everyone free on SoundCloud. Here are some linked to women’s mental health you may be interested in:
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You may also want to access some . These include online eLearning and other materials to help health workers provide better care and support for women subjected to violence.