This manual is intended for health managers at all levels of the health systems. The manual is based on the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline Responding to intimate partner violence and sexual violence against women: WHO clinical and policy guidelines, 2013. Those guidelines inform this manual and its companion clinical handbook for healthcare providers, Health care for women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexual violence, 2014.

The manual draws on the WHO health systems building blocks as outlined in Everybody’s business: strengthening health systems to improve health outcomes: WHO’s framework for action (WHO, 2007).

This manual also draws on other manuals and tools for the health sector response to gender-based violence against women that are listed in the bibliography on page 115. In May 2016 the World Health Assembly, comprising representatives of the ministries of health of 194 Member States, endorsed a global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health system, within a national multisectoral response, to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls and against children (global plan of action on violence). This plan of action urges governments and other national and international partners to take actions in four strategic directions:
1) strengthening health system leadership and governance;
2) strengthening health service delivery and health-care providers’ capacity to respond;
3) strengthening programming to prevent violence; and
4) improving information and evidence.

This manual supports implementation of the global plan of action on violence. In addition, this manual, along with the companion clinical handbook, contributes to implementation of the health component of the United Nations Joint Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (#5587, follow link). (From the Preface). Record #5770