Question

Mrs Mashishi has presented to the doctor with symptoms of an NCD. Mrs Mashishi is a mother of four young children. Her husband is unemployed, and drinks heavily over weekends. She works as a factory cleaner. Where she works, there are a few small cafeterias mostly selling junk food. She moved to Valenzuela City after the birth of her second child five years ago. She works from 8:00AM-5:00 PM daily and reaches home at 6:30 PM. She hopes one day to build a block house but lives in a shack presently.

1. Consider why this doctor’s response could be called victim-blaming (10 points).

2. Then formulate what you could rather say to Mrs Mashishi and what you would recommend to the City Health Officer in relation to women in Valenzuela City like Mrs Mashishi (20 points).

Answer 1

#. Victim-blaming is the attitude which suggests that the victim rather than the perpetrator bears responsibility for the assault. Victim-blaming occurs when it is assumed that an individual did something to provoke the violence by actions, words, or dress. It is never the victim's fault

Here ,in this case the response of the doctor is called victim - blaming because the doctor is blaming Mrs. Mashishi for acquiring NCD rather than looking at her living conditions.

#. Recommendations :-

- Government should make provision for the accomodation of the vulnerable groups of population

-The timings of the workplace should be changed for women's who have children's to take care off ,so that atleast they can take care of them

- Arrangement of healthy food stalls at workplace so that workers can have healthy food .

- Release of funds and implementation of programs for women empowerment