Confronting intimate partner violence: a global health priority

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Women's Health
• Violence Prevention

Background:

• Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a prevalent form of violence against women, linked to negative reproductive and maternal health outcomes.
• Women often access healthcare services, presenting a key opportunity for IPV intervention, particularly through reproductive health services.
• Existing health systems-based responses to IPV are emerging but lack rigorous evaluation for effective program and policy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review health system opportunities for addressing intimate partner violence.
• To examine promising approaches and identify challenges in developing health-systems responses to IPV.
• To inform strategies for integrating IPV prevention and intervention into healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of literature on health systems' role in addressing intimate partner violence.
• Analysis of existing programs and interventions in the United States and developing countries.
• Identification of challenges and future research needs for health-systems based IPV responses.

Main Results:

• Women's healthcare utilization, especially for reproductive health, provides a significant entry point for IPV services.
• Health system interventions are evolving from individual provider practices to system-wide changes.
• Developing country programs have often been multisectoral from inception, offering valuable models.

Conclusions:

• Strengthening health system environments and inter-sectoral linkages is crucial for effective IPV response.
• Rigorous evaluations are essential to build an evidence base for health sector-based IPV interventions.
• Further research is needed on engaging men in violence prevention and assessing intervention effectiveness.