IPV support program changed after causing unexpected complications in court

Nova Scotia Health has stopped providing a specialized nurse to collect evidence from victims of intimate partner violence who are not sexually assaulted after the program created unintended consequences in the court system.

The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program or SANE launched in 2000. Just over a year ago, the nurses expanded their role to include intimate partner violence cases in the absence of sexual assault.

It allowed victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) to meet with a specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner, whether they had been sexually assaulted or not.

This, however, backfired in some cases, said Janelle Comeau, the director of violence prevention intervention and response program with Nova Scotia Health.

Victims would give a statement to the nurse and another to police, and sometimes there were small discrepancies.

"Even though it can be very normal for a person's statement to change over time, it was still causing adverse problems with respect to the survivor in court," Comeau said. "They were being challenged."

Comeau said the nurses were also doing DNA collection, which was an unnecessary step in cases without sexual assault.

"The victim survivors know who the person causing their harm was. It's their intimate partner. Either their current one or one from the past."

Comeau said while the program was in place, the nurses supported about 20 people. That translated to just six per cent of their workload.

She said they heard from partners, including the public prosecution service, that their trauma-informed approach was actually causing trauma in courts when the victims were questioned about the differing statements.

"One careful statement is better in cases where trauma has happened. It helps to reduce stress."

The program including intimate partner violence cases in the absence of sexual assault ended in December.

But Dawn Ferris, the executive director of the Cumberland County Transition House Association, said the more she learned about the rationale, the more it made sense.

"Women are blamed for their own harm so often, and then their words — if they don't align completely exactly the same in every statement — are used against them in the court process," Ferris said.

"I get that completely being a problem."

Ferris said while this attempt at support didn't work, she wants to make sure some parts of it remain. She said IPV patients were offered quick access to privacy when they got to the hospital.

"I was told that those types of things would be implemented without needing the SANE nurse to come in."

We just have to do things better. The systems have to be more trauma informed.- Dawn Ferris, Cumberland County Transition House Association

Ferris said the need is there to continue to try more ways to help women.

"We're still dealing with an epidemic. Domestic violence is still on an increase. We've just had the busiest December we've ever had in my eight years here," she said, elaborating that they had about 10 clients, which is double their usual number.

"We just have to do things better. The systems have to be more trauma informed."

Comeau said IPV victims who have not been sexually assaulted will still have access to the community supports they need.

She emphasized that there have been no financial or staffing cuts to SANE, and the nurses will continue to focus on sexual assault victims.

"We are still responding to the needs."

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