Supporting Lives Free from Intimate Partner Violence
Towards Better Integration of Services for Victims/Survivors
Many OECD governments regularly identify violence against women as the top gender equality issue their country faces. Yet in all countries, addressing this multifaceted issue presents serious governance and implementation challenges as victims/survivors have complex needs both during and after experiences of violence. Different service delivery providers such as health, justice, housing and social protection must work together seamlessly – across governmental and non-governmental providers – to provide an effective response. This report presents a stocktaking of OECD governments’ efforts to integrate service delivery to address the most prevalent form of gender-based violence against women: intimate partner violence. It presents an overview of different strategies for coordinating key services commonly offered in OECD countries: healthcare, justice, housing, child services, income support, and preventative programmes to stop the reoccurrence of violence. Based on extensive feedback from 35 out of 38 OECD countries and a consultation with non-governmental service providers, this report identifies best practices and investigates the barriers to resolving one of the most pressing human rights issues in OECD countries today.
Integrated service delivery to support victims/survivors’ physical and mental health
Intimate partner violence (IPV) has long been characterised as a health crisis. As it is a common point of entry to social services for victims/survivors, the health sector offers meaningful opportunities to mainstream and integrate responses to IPV. This chapter explores how OECD countries have used integrated service delivery (ISD) based in health care to support women affected by IPV. It examines integrated responses in hospital and outpatient settings, as well as targeted mental health initiatives. While most health care systems in the OECD use referral protocols to link victims/survivors with specialised services, governments must ensure that sufficient specialised services exist and are better linked to meet victims/survivors’ needs.
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