WHO WE ARE
Eira Act is a newly initiated independent non-governmental organization, consisting of medical doctors and medical students.
We work for the global recognition, improvement and access to health care for individuals subjected to various forms of sexual traumas at any time in life and/or other forms of interpersonal trauma in childhood.
Adequate knowledge and recognition of this patient group is lacking among clinicians in general. Specialist clinics are scarce, resources limited and the urgency inevitable. Our aim is to fill this void in medical education as well as residency, improve screening tools, implement treatment protocols and thereby make robust patient care improvements.
We are grateful to expand our community and services through our members, with the help from collaborators world wide.
WHAT WE KNOW
Chronic toxic stress as a consequence of neglect, abuse and other challenges early in life is a field of research that has been given attention in the US defined as Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), with screening tools and preventative measures.
Nearly 30 years of research has delineated a dose-response correlation between an accumulation of early adverse experiences and somatic signs of chronic toxic stress, affecting the brain development, endocrine system, immune system and neurological system of the affected individual. A high ACE score leads to an increased risk for disease later in life, and up to 20 years loss of life expectancy.
Swedish studies of sexual trauma victims reveal an increased prevalence of eating disorders, alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide. One recent study found the frequency of seeking health care after suicide attempts to be 26 times higher in a group of girls subjected to sexual abuse, compared to a control group of girls the same age in the same area of residency.
WHAT WE WANT
Our Purpose
Health care quality improvement and accessibility for victims of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) and sexual trauma.
Our Vision
A world where ACEs and sexual traumas are acknowledged as just as harmful and disease generating as unsanitary water.
Our Mission
To develop, provide and promote access to education, treatment recommendations, screening and assessment tools to health care professionals, physicians, medical students and schools.
To function as a platform for ACE/sexual trauma research and thereby promote a global HRBA reformation of the health care system, facilitating professional interchange and dialogue among physicians world-wide, for the furtherance of medical knowledge, research, practice and protocols.
THE BOARD
Barbro Lindhe - Director
MD, specialist and senior consultant in Psychiatry
Alice Eriksson - Secretary
BSc in Psychology, medical student (Karolinska Institute)
Sofia Staaf - Director
MD, Stockholm
Founding partners: KLF (Women's Medical Association in Sweden) and WONSA (World of No Sexual Abuse).
Collaborative partners: Storasyster, Rise, NxtME, Freedom Agency