New domestic violence health care standards under recent Ohio bill – WYSO

Legislative Initiative to Combat Intimate Partner Violence in Ohio

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The proposed legislation directly addresses public health by establishing protocols within healthcare settings to protect individuals from violence, thereby promoting physical and mental well-being.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): By targeting intimate partner violence, a prevalent form of gender-based violence where women are disproportionately victims, the bill supports the goal of eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.
• SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions): The act aims to strengthen institutional responses to violence by making the healthcare system a more effective and accountable partner in identifying and documenting abuse, contributing to the reduction of violence and related death rates.

Overview of House Bill 566: The “Break the Silence Act”

A legislative proposal, House Bill 566, has been introduced in Ohio by Representatives Dontavius Jarrells and Josh Williams. Titled the “Break the Silence Act,” it seeks to establish new mandatory standards of care for healthcare professionals treating patients suspected of experiencing intimate partner violence.

1. Healthcare practitioners would be required to conduct private interviews with the patient, separate from any accompanying family or household members.
2. Practitioners must document potential abuse-related injuries within the patient’s official medical records to create a formal account.

Rationale and Supporting Evidence

The necessity for this legislation is underscored by personal testimony and statistical data.

• Survivor testimony from Breaunna Nooks highlighted the critical need for privacy during medical consultations, as abusers often accompany victims, preventing them from speaking freely.
• Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein emphasized that healthcare workers often serve as a victim’s primary point of contact and a crucial catalyst for intervention, especially when perpetrators have limited interaction with the criminal justice system.
• A report from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) revealed a 37% year-over-year increase in domestic violence fatalities in the state. The data indicated that while more men died (82 vs. 75 women), the majority of victims were women and the majority of attackers were men. Franklin and Cuyahoga Counties reported the highest number of incidents.

Stakeholder Collaboration and Future Outlook

The bill represents a multi-stakeholder partnership (SDG 17) involving state legislators, survivors of violence, city officials, and non-governmental organizations like the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. As of this report, House Bill 566 has been introduced and is awaiting assignment to a legislative committee for review.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article on Ohio’s House Bill 566, the “Break the Silence Act,” addresses several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on the legislative and healthcare response to intimate partner violence. The primary SDGs connected to the issues are:

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The entire premise of the bill is to improve the healthcare system’s response to domestic violence. It mandates new standards for healthcare professionals, such as conducting private interviews and documenting injuries, directly linking the issue to the health and well-being of victims.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: The article highlights that while men also die from domestic violence, “most victims were women, and most attackers were men.” This frames intimate partner violence as a significant gender-based issue, making SDG 5, which aims to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, highly relevant.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The introduction of House Bill 566 is a direct effort to strengthen institutional responses to violence. By creating a legal framework for healthcare providers, the bill aims to provide justice and a “first line of defense” for victims, as stated by Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. The article’s mention of a surge in domestic violence deaths also connects directly to the goal of reducing violence and related death rates.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s focus, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres.
   • The article is centered on “intimate partner violence,” a primary form of violence against women. The testimony of survivor Breaunna Nooks and the statistics from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) underscore the prevalence and severity of this issue, which this target aims to eliminate.
2. Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.
   • The article explicitly cites a report from the ODVN that “recorded a 37% increase year-over-year” in domestic violence deaths in Ohio. The bill is a legislative attempt to intervene before violence escalates to a fatal level, directly addressing this target.
3. Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including… access to quality essential health-care services.
   • The proposed bill aims to improve the quality of care for victims of domestic violence. By creating “mandatory standards of care,” such as private interviews and documentation of injuries, it seeks to ensure that healthcare facilities provide more effective and safer services for this vulnerable population, thus enhancing the quality of essential healthcare.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article mentions and implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Indicator 16.1.1: Number of victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population, by sex and age.
  • This indicator is directly referenced in the article through the ODVN’s annual fatality report. The text states, “Domestic violence deaths dramatically surged in Ohio… which recorded a 37% increase year-over-year. More men, 82, than women, 75, died.” This data on domestic violence homicides serves as a direct measure of the “related death rates” mentioned in Target 16.1.
• Indicator 5.2.1: Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls… subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner.
  • While the article does not provide a specific prevalence rate, the entire initiative is based on the existence of this violence. The story of Breaunna Nooks, a “survivor of intimate partner violence,” and the statement that “too many domestic violence cases have come across” the City Attorney’s desk imply the widespread nature of this problem, which this indicator measures. The bill’s success could be measured by a future reduction in this proportion.
• Implied Indicator: Number of healthcare facilities implementing standardized screening and response protocols for intimate partner violence.
  • The core of HB 566 is to “require health care facilities to enact new standards.” An implicit indicator of progress would be the rate of adoption and implementation of these standards (private interviews, documentation of injuries) across Ohio’s healthcare facilities, which relates to improving the quality of care under Target 3.8.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: wyso.org