Domestic violence as a public health crisis: challenges and opportunities for health care

Abstract Domestic violence (DV) remains a critical public health concern with profound social, physical, and psychological consequences. Globally, an estimated 27% of women aged 15-49 have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner (WHO, 2023). In Europe, prevalence rates vary significantly, with some countries reporting figures as high as 35%. Despite its scale and impact, DV continues to be underreported and under-detected in healthcare settings, resulting in missed opportunities for early identification, intervention, and support. Although international and national guidelines, such as the WHO recommendations and the NICE guidelines, advocate for proactive screening, trauma-informed care, and the creation of safe environments for disclosure, their implementation remains fragmented and inconsistent across health care systems. Most importantly, there is a lack of mandatory training programs for health care providers on DV, and a related insufficient development of coordinated public health strategies. This short, 10 min introductory presentation to our workshop, will highlighted the latest epidemiological evidence on DV as well as key shortcomings in health care responses. Policy measures that promote the use of validated screening tools to ensure systematic inquiry in clinical settings to foster a trauma-informed approach will be briefly discussed to set the framework for this skills-building workshop.