Osmotic movement

Violence against women and the interventions of female and male workers in a basic health unit

Abstract

The spectrum of violence against women is founded on the discursive assumption of gender asymmetry and presents itself as a severe public health issue and a violation of human rights. In this sense, this article aims to understand violence against women through the expressions of healthcare workers, metaphorically described as an osmotic movement. This study is qualitative and employed the use of sense analysis to attain an understanding of the participants’ statements. These understandings were organized into narratives constructed from the comments of the participants, obtained through semi-structured interviews. The results indicate that the spectrum of violence occurs as a dynamic process and affects various social actors. Therefore, it is not a problem that should be addressed considering only the aggressor and the violated woman. They also reveal that the health interventions of healthcare workers active in the Basic Health Unit (UBS) regarding violence against women metaphorically consolidate as an osmotic movement. For that reason, addressing violence against women should be structured with possibilities for relevant referrals: protection of the violated woman’s integrity, available sheltering locations, strategies for subsistence, and activation of the social network.