Strategy to help decrease rate of domestic violence introduced in Sask.

The federal Status of Women Minister, Patty Hajdu, is intervening in Saskatchewan to help create a strategy to help decrease the rate of domestic violence in the province.

She arrived in Regina on Friday and spoke with people who work on the issue of gender-based violence.

Hajdu said although many ministries and programs come across gender-based violence, they need to improve how they communicate and work together.

"What could we do that could make it safer for a woman to come forward? That would help, you know, ensure that we take this issue very seriously and that we reflect that it's never OK. That women need — they have — the basic right of safety," said Hajdu. 

She said, at this point, it's a matter of listening to the people who see it first or second hand.

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Jo-Anne Dusel said she is very optimistic of a potential strategy being put into place. She's the provincial coordinator of PATHS, an association of transition houses and services in Saskatchewan.

"I see a lot of good work happening on very many levels but we really need to push it through various different parts of society," she said. 

Dusel said PATHS is working right now on a project to address how intimate partner violence impacts the workplace, including how victims can suffer professionally just from being victims. 

According to Hajdu, Saskatchewan has the highest rate of intimate partner homicides. There have been 58 cases between 2000 and 2010. 

And although the strategy is in its early stages, Hajdu said she's aiming to have something ready late this year or early next.