Citation

Okenwa-Emegwa LE, von Strauss E. Public Health Rev. 2018; 39: e31.

Affiliation

1Department of Health Sciences, The Swedish Red Cross University College, Stockholm, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, International Health Publications)

DOI

10.1186/s40985-018-0108-5

PMID

30473904

PMCID

PMC6241023

Abstract

Violence against women is an acknowledged public and global health problem which has adverse consequences for women's health. Education, especially higher education, has long been identified as an important arena for addressing the problem and promoting gender equality. Two measures recently put in place in the Swedish higher education have brought the role of the sector into focus. The first is the inclusion of gender equality as a measurable outcome in quality assurance in higher education. The second measure is the amendment of the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance to include mandatory knowledge of VAW in the degree programme of seven selected relevant professional groups. The potentials of both measures to positively contribute to the gender equality discourse, as well as improving capacity building for the public health workforce who encounter VAW, are discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

Active citizens; European higher education; Gender equality; Healthcare sector; Public health workforce; Quality assurance; Sweden; Swedish higher education; Violence against women; women’s rights