Violence

Women and Violence

The Ministry considers that for women to be healthy, empowered, resilient and safe, they must live free from all forms of violence. Sexual violence and domestic violence continue to impact disproportionately on women. For this reason, the Ministry is committed to and has a specific focus on providing policy advice to specifically reduce the incidence and impact of violence against women.

As part of providing advice to government on policy solutions to improve the status of women, the Ministry occasionally conducts research to develop an evidence base to inform policy advice. The Ministry continues to work with relevant agencies to reduce the incidence and impact of family and domestic violence against women.

 

Sexual Violence

The Ministry has some specific priority areas within the area of sexual violence – a focus on prevention and on improved outcomes for victims. The Ministry will build on the findings of the recent Ministry sexual violence research project (see below) and the work of the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence in order to:

• Understand and advise on what works to prevent and respond to sexual violence, especially the role that friends and family can play to support victims
• Know what works to support victims from crisis to recovery, and work with agencies to ensure that current services are as accessible, appropriate and effective as possible for victims
• Advise how to improve victims’ experiences with the current system (especially the criminal justice system)
• Utilise research findings and embed within our own policy advice and share with relevant government and non-government agencies.

 

Strong and Safe Communities – Effective Interventions for Adult Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault

The Ministry completed this two-year research project at the end of 2009. The research findings have clear policy implications, and the Ministry continues to engage with relevant agencies to disseminate the findings. The research project consisted of four inter-related work streams:

• Responding to Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence: A Review of Literature of Good Practice
• Attrition of Recorded Cases of Adult Sexual Violation in New Zealand
• Pathways from Crisis to Recovery for Adult Victim/Survivors of Sexual Violence
• Environmental Scan of New Zealand Agencies that Respond to Adult Victim/Survivors of Sexual Violence

 

The overview report: Restoring Soul: Key Findings from Strong and Safe Communities – Effective Interventions for Adult Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault pulls all four work streams together.

 

Staying Safe, Bouncing Back – Resilience in Young People

The Ministry expects to complete this one-year research project, designed to consider resilience as a protective factor against sexual violence, with a specific focus on young Māori, by September 2010. This research will establish what is known in New Zealand and internationally on this topic, and develop and test a methodology for exploring resilience in youth specifically in relation to the prevention of sexual violence.

 

Ethnic women and intimate partner violence 

A collaborative effort by the Ministry and the Office of Ethnic Affairs led to the release in July 2010 of a brochure to assist ethnic women facing domestic violence. Speak Up, Seek Help, Safe Home was produced after extensive consultation with ethnic communities and provides a practical tool for service providers and community leaders to support women. It provides information on New Zealand law and rights in relationships, and details of where to go for help.  The brochure is available in Korean, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Japanese, Somali, Arabic, Portuguese, and Hindi and was launched in Auckland and Christchurch by Hon Pansy Wong, Minister of Women's Affairs.

The Ministry also produced a review of literature on culturally appropriate interventions for intimate partner violence in ethnic communities. 

The brochure and the literature review are the first steps in ongoing work in this area.

 

Last updated 4 August 2010