MARGAO: To equip health care providers who are handling cases of sexual violence and enable them to provide care and rehabilitative services more confidently and correctly, the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSPCR) organised an orientation for medicos on providing medico-legal care for survivors of sexual assault. This was also aimed at ensuring that that all the correct steps are taken to ensure that justice is provided to the survivors of sexual violence.
Around 25 medicos from Goa Medical College Hospital (GMC), the North and South Goa District Hospitals and the Ponda Sub District Hospital attended the training programme that was held at the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, GMC on Friday.
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Dr Andre Fernandes, Head of Department, Dr Mandar P Kantak, Associate Professor and Dr Sheryl Soares E Mesquita, Assistant Lecturer, Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, GMC covered the provision of comprehensive care including consent, history taking and documentation, medical examination and treatment as well as deposition in the court to present this medical evidence properly and timely to the Court, psycho-social support and rehabilitation.
It was brought to the notice of the Commission by stakeholders in the justice system, that the medical opinions and reports are left wanting and fall short in court, during trial. To set right this issue, this training was organized in collaboration with Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology to orient doctors to respond to child victims of sexual violence in a more humane and case-specific manner. Preventing and responding to abuse and sexual violence requires a continuous multi-sectoral and multi-faceted approach, and strengthening the medico-legal response is an important part.
“Decentralisation of medico-legal services and engaging more registered medical practitioners was suggested to improve the ecosystem of medico-legal care. The Commission will conduct more organized training for registered medical practitioners,” said Peter F Borges, GSCPCR Chairperson.
The Chairperson added that the orientation programme was quite intense in terms of what all was discussed and what was outlined in terms of what needs to be done in the future.
