Nova Scotia has the highest provincial prevalence of self-reported intimate partner violence among women in Canada. Healthcare providers serve as an important point of contact for identifying and supporting people experiencing intimate partner violence and sexualized violence -- the most common forms of violence against women -- because this violence has significant negative impacts on health. Indeed, intimate partner violence and sexual violence were recently named among the top five health risks affecting females globally in The Lancet's latest Global Burden of Disease study.

 

In line with the goals of Nova Scotia's health authorities and the provincial government, which declared in September 2024 that intimate partner violence is an epidemic, this program of work aims to strengthen health system responses to domestic violence (including intimate partner violence) and sexualized violence. We aim to advance a learning health system across the province that can continuously improve the capacity of its programs to prevent and respond to domestic and sexualized violence and meet the diverse needs of survivors, including through inter-sectoral strategies.