Nova Scotia Health has halted the provision of a specialized nurse service for collecting evidence from victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) who have not experienced sexual assault. This decision was made due to unintended consequences arising in the court system as a result of the program.
The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE) was introduced in 2000. Approximately a year ago, the program expanded to include cases of intimate partner violence, regardless of sexual assault involvement. This allowed IPV victims to consult with a specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner.
However, the expansion led to challenges in some instances, according to Janelle Comeau, Nova Scotia Health’s director of violence prevention intervention and response program. She noted that discrepancies sometimes arose between the statements given by victims to the nurse and to the police, causing difficulties for survivors in court proceedings.
Comeau mentioned that the nurses were also involved in DNA collection, an unnecessary step in cases not involving sexual assault. She highlighted that IPV victims typically knew the identity of their abuser, often an intimate partner, making DNA collection redundant.
While the program was operational, the nurses assisted around 20 individuals, representing only six percent of their workload. Feedback received from partners, including the public prosecution service, suggested that the trauma-informed approach of the nurses was inadvertently causing distress in courtrooms.
The program’s inclusion of intimate partner violence cases without sexual assault ceased in December. Dawn Ferris, the executive director of the Cumberland County Transition House Association, expressed understanding of the rationale behind this decision, emphasizing the risk of victims being scrutinized and blamed during legal proceedings due to inconsistencies in their statements.
Ferris acknowledged the need for continued support for women affected by IPV and highlighted the importance of maintaining certain aspects of the program, such as providing prompt privacy access for IPV patients at hospitals.
Moving forward, efforts to enhance support for women experiencing domestic violence are crucial, especially given the ongoing increase in such cases. Comeau assured that IPV victims who have not experienced sexual assault will still receive necessary community support services, affirming that there have been no cutbacks in funding or staffing for the SANE program, which will continue to prioritize assisting sexual assault victims.