Violence

My first live birth to see!

A patient with conjunctival hemorrhage

In both Uganda and Rwanda I’ve seen patients suffering from physical beatings. Several have had blows to the head resulting in conjunctival hemorrhages that look horrible, but as long as the vision is intact, they are nothing to worry about. In Uganda a man had been beaten by thugs on the street who stole his phone and money. Here a boy had been beaten and was in the hospital wondering who would pay since it wasn’t his fault for needing care. A boy came in yesterday needing stitches from being stoned.

Today we saw a woman with a displaced fracture of the ulna from domestic abuse. Dr. Kohl said he sees women often who have suffered from abuse from their spouse. In most abuse cases medical reports are filled out for the police, but in spousal abuse the cultural question is, “Well, what did the woman do wrong to deserve it?” Women have a difficult life here. They take on the responsibility of the children, cooking, cleaning and sometimes even a side job. They are “disciplined” like a child by their husband. It is culturally acceptable for husbands to beat them for whatever they do that does not please them. Drunkenness is very common for men in this area. Beautiful banana trees fill the fertile mountains offering a bounty for the malnurished, but half are used to make banana beer. It only makes the violence worse.

I watch these African women with such respect. They walk into the birthing room while in labor and situate themselves on the exam table. Without any pain medications or cries they silently clench their fists and give life. While we suction the newborn and tie off the cord she stands and wipes the blood off her legs with her own skirt. Barefoot, she makes her way down to her bed to nurse the new child. Their strength is nonchalant: it is how they handle all the hardships and injustices. This quiet perseverance begs no one’s pity. It is life and they do what they must.