POLICE ASSOCIATION OF NOVA SCOTIA 87 The police must also make a referral to Child Protection Services if they think your child or children have been harmed or are at risk of being harmed. Child protection law says everyone must keep children safe from harm. If a child protection worker contacts you then it is important for you to understand the reason why there has been a referral and anything you can do to make sure your child is safe. You can get legal advice about child protection from a lawyer you would pay, or from Nova Scotia Legal Aid. You can get more information about child protection at nsfamilylaw.ca. If your partner is charged, the police can connect you with Victim Services. They can help support you. Can the police charge my partner with sexual assault? Yes, a partner can be charged with sexual assault. Being married or in a close or intimate relationship does not give your partner the right to sexually assault you. There does not have to be a witness other than the survivor for a judge to convict a person of sexual assault. If you have been sexually assaulted, you may want to visit a nurse through the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program (SANE) to do a medical exam and/or collect evidence within seven days of the sexual assault. Medical evidence can help if you decide to report what happened to the police and the person is charged with sexual assault. Sexual assault survivors can get services and support by calling the SANE response line in your area or by contacting the police, a healthcare professional, or a local transition house or shelter. For more information on SANE please go to www.nshealth.ca/sane . Other examples of crimes that are considered family violence: • If your partner forced you to stay somewhere by threatening you or physically stopping you from leaving, they might be charged with 'forcible confinement' • If your partner threatened to harm you, your child, pets or property, they might be charged with 'uttering threats'. Threats might be made to you in person, or in another way like text messages, on social media posts, or by telephone • If your partner damaged your property they might be charged with 'mischief'. This is when someone damages property such as keying your car or punching a hole in the wall during an argument. • If your partner took your property (for example, your pet or vehicle) without your consent they might be charged with theft. • 'Criminal harassment' is also a common charge in partner abuse cases. Criminal harassment includes things like stalking, harassing phone calls, or unwanted visits to your home or workplace. Stalking is when you have a reasonable fear for your safety because your partner does one or more of the following: watches and follows you damages your property tries to contact you when you don't want them to sends you lots of messages that you don't want by mail, voicemail, text, email, social media posts, or through other people. Going to the Police continued continued
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