The annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence runs from 25 November to 10 December 2026. UN Women’s theme this year is “Ensuring justice, protecting survivors and ending impunity”, including in digital spaces.
Worldwide, about one in three women experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, most often from a partner. Health services are often the first, and sometimes the only, place a survivor goes for help, and nurses are often the people they trust most.
Signs that may suggest domestic abuse
- Injuries that do not match the explanation, or injuries at different stages of healing
- Delay in seeking care for an injury
- Frequent visits with vague complaints such as headaches, abdominal pain or sleep problems
- Anxiety, depression, self-harm or substance use
- In pregnancy: late booking, missed appointments, injuries to the abdomen or breasts
- A partner who will not leave the room, answers for the patient or controls their phone and money
How to ask safely
- Make sure you are alone with the patient. Never ask in front of a partner, family member or child over two. Use a professional interpreter, not a relative.
- Explain why you are asking: “Because abuse is common, we ask everyone about their safety at home.”
- Ask direct, simple questions: “Has anyone at home hurt you or made you feel afraid?”
- Listen and believe. Say: “This is not your fault. You do not deserve this.”
- Respect their choices. Leaving can be the most dangerous time. Your role is to support, not to decide for them.
WHO’s first-line response is often summarised as LIVES: Listen, Inquire about needs, Validate, Enhance safety and Support.
What to do next
- Assess immediate risk: threats to kill, strangulation, weapons, escalating violence and pregnancy all raise the danger.
- Make a safety plan: a safe place to go, a packed bag, important documents and a code word with a trusted person.
- Give information discreetly: helpline numbers written on something small, or saved in their phone under another name.
- Follow safeguarding procedures: involve your safeguarding lead, and act at once if children or vulnerable adults are at risk.
- Treat injuries and offer emergency contraception, PEP and STI testing after sexual assault, in line with local protocols.
Documentation matters
Clear notes can support a survivor later in court. Record what the patient said in their own words, using quotation marks, describe injuries precisely (size, colour, location) using a body map, and note who was present. Keep these records secure and away from patient-held notes the abuser could see.
Look after yourself too
Supporting survivors can be distressing, and some nurses are survivors themselves. Use supervision and staff support services, and see our guide to compassion fatigue and burnout.
Sources: UN Women, UNiTE campaign 2026 theme; World Health Organization, violence against women fact sheet and clinical handbook “Health care for women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexual violence”. If you or someone you know is in danger, contact your local emergency number.
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