WHO Pakistan commissioned a rapid assessment with the primary objective of assessing the capacity of the health sector in Pakistan to integrate the issues of gender-based violence. This rapid assessment was conducted under the WHO Gender and Health Programme as part of the One UN Gender Equality Interventions. A qualitative study involving a brief desk review and primary data collection, including interviews and focus group discussions with health service providers, was employed.
The study reconfirms that the connection between gender and health is not only poorly understood but also that gender-based violence is not internalized as a public hearth issue by the majority of health service providers at different levels. The outcomes of this assessment will be of interest not only to policy-makers in the context of Pakistan but also to those in other countries developed and developing alike.