SEXUAL Health Quarters (SHQ) has received Federal funding to run a two-year project around identifying and responding to intimate partner violence (IPV).
SHQ Medical Director Dr Richelle Douglas said the development of screening tools to identify victims of IPV and/or reproductive coercion was much needed.
“Reproductive coercion is a term used to define a range of fertility-controlling behaviours,” she said.
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READ NOW“Accurate data on IPV and reproductive coercion is severely lacking in Australia, and as a result, these issues are not widely understood.
“This project will initiate improvements in data collection, which will inform a greater understanding by health professionals, allowing them to help and support more women.”
Dr Douglas said links between reproduction coercion and the outcomes of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmissible infections would also be researched.
She said that the funding would allow staff in primary care settings to be trained to identify and respond to IPV and reproductive coercion.
This program is funded through the Women’s Leadership and Development Program.