Projects

To generate evidence and co-create practical solutions to strengthen the integration of intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention within Sri Lanka’s existing health system structures, with a focus on reaching newly married couples through routine health services. 

Context and rationale 

Intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a significant concern affecting individuals, couples, families and communities in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka’s 2019 Women’s Wellbeing Survey, the country’s first national survey on violence against women and girls, found that 20.4% of ever-partnered women had experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime, while 6.0% had experienced such violence in the previous 12 months. In addition, 39.8% had experienced at least one form of partner violence or controlling behaviour during their lifetime.

The findings highlight the importance of strengthening prevention alongside response. The survey also found that nearly half (49.3%) of women who had experienced sexual violence by a partner did not seek formal help, underscoring the importance of creating opportunities to address violence before it occurs and to strengthen accessible, trusted support within existing services.

Existing health-system structures provide an important opportunity to reach couples at an early stage of their marriage and address the social, relational and gender-related factors that contribute to IPV. In Sri Lanka, the Pre-Conception Care Package (PCCP), delivered through Medical Officer of Health (MOH) offices, offers an established entry point for integrating IPV prevention into routine health services. The project explores how evidence-informed IPV prevention can be adapted, integrated and implemented within routine health services in a contextually appropriate and sustainable way.