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The Domestic Violence Act 1995 Essay

Decent Essays

In New Zealand, 1 in 4 woman will experience a form of intimate partner violence (IPV) throughout the course of their relationships (New Zealand Family Violence Clearhouse, 2015). The Domestic Violence Act 1995 (2014) defines violence in this instance as physical , sexual and psychological abuse. This abuse has a myriad of health consequences on all members of the whānau, including children who witness or are subjected to this violence. The primary health care (PHC) nurse has a range of responsibilities in these contexts including screening for IPV, risk assessing, safety planning, documenting and supporting.
The ramification of domestic violence asserts a myraid of health consequences for the victim and also their family and whānau (Hoeata, Waimarie, Li, Young-Hauser, & Robertson, 2011). Physical assault, forced sexual acts and psycological abuse are the most common origins (Collins, 2012). Due to the diverse nature of intimate partner violence, the health consequences are unique to each case. Unfortunatly the statistics do not represent this diversity as the majority of the psycological and emotional abuse is not recognised or officially documented (Campbell, 2012).
There is a range of physcial health effects of IPV. Non-accidental injuries are a common occurance with IPV and can range vastly (Ministry of Health, 2002). Other physical effects can be noticed through the consistent gynalogical problems that are prevelant amongst battered woman. These include sexually

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