Gaps in government recognition of the service needs of women who experience intimate partner violence: a comparative case study analysis of policies and implementation across eight countries

Authors

• Merike Blofield, Institute for Latin American Studies, German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, Germany; School of Economics, Business and Social Sciences, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: [email protected].
• Kristen Danforth, Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
• Shanaaz Matthews, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
• Diana Acuña, Sinestesia ONG, Bogotá, Colombia.
• Benedetta Armocida, Department of Cardiovascular, Endocrine-metabolic Diseases and Aging, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
• Paula Dias Bevilacqua, Instituto René Rachou, Fiocruz Minas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
• Aislinn Delany, Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
• Padma Bhate-Deosthali, International Center for Research on Women Asia, New Delhi, India.
• Beatrice Formenti, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli, Rome, Italy.
• María Ana González, Institute of Public Health, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Institute of International Health and Tropical Medicine, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
• Nancy Madera, Escuela de Política y Gobierno, Universidad Nacional de San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
• Deborah Malta, Nursing School, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
• Dianah Kagere Mugerwa, Department of National Health Laboratory and Diagnostic Services, Ministry of Health Uganda, Kampala, Uganda.
• Johanna Pieper, German Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg, Germany.
• Isabella Vitral Pinto, René Rachou Institute, Fiocruz Minas, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
• Claudia Garcia Moreno, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland.
• Mary Ellsberg, Global Women's Institute, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
• Flavia Bustreo, Fondation Botnar, Basel, Switzerland.
• Felicia Knaul, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-1-2026

Journal

The Lancet. Global health

Volume

14

Issue

3

DOI

10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00487-5

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a substantial health and human rights concern. Governmental policies to address IPV are well-documented, but most available evidence on implementation focuses on specific initiatives covering small groups, and little is known about IPV policy responses at a national level. We conducted a comparative case study analysis on eight countries (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, India, Italy, South Africa, Spain, and Uganda) between January, 2024, and May, 2025. Drawing on police, health, and social sector administrative data, we assessed the extent to which governments recognise and respond to the need for services by women who have experienced IPV. We found varying levels of government response across countries. A qualitative analysis of the recognition gap-including access to care pathways and intersectoral coordination-identified ways to improve responses, including leveraging health sectors. The analysis moves us beyond counts of policy adoption and provides a novel approach in assessing responsiveness of services for women experiencing violence.

APA Citation

Blofield, Merike; Danforth, Kristen; Matthews, Shanaaz; Acuña, Diana; Armocida, Benedetta; Bevilacqua, Paula Dias; Delany, Aislinn; Bhate-Deosthali, Padma; Formenti, Beatrice; González, María Ana; Madera, Nancy; Malta, Deborah; Mugerwa, Dianah Kagere; Pieper, Johanna; Pinto, Isabella Vitral; Moreno, Claudia Garcia; Ellsberg, Mary; Bustreo, Flavia; and Knaul, Felicia, "Gaps in government recognition of the service needs of women who experience intimate partner violence: a comparative case study analysis of policies and implementation across eight countries" (2026). GW Authored Works. Paper 8968.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/8968

Department

Global Health