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Status of Women in new zealand

New Zealand's 6th CEDAW report to the United Nations

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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.

 

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

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 is in the process of completing this two-year research project, which will be publically released by October 2009. This research findings have clear policy implications, and the Ministry will engage with relevant agencies to disseminate these findings. The research project consists 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 Victims/Survivors of Sexual Violence
  • Environmental Scan of New Zealand Agencies that Respond to Adult Victims/Survivors of Sexual Violence

 

There will also be an overview report released entitled: Restoring Soul: Key Findings from Strong and Safe Communities – Effective Interventions for Adult Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault.

 

Staying Safe, Bouncing Back – Resilience in Young People

The Ministry has just begun a new one-year research project designed to consider resilience as a protective factor against sexual violence, with a specific focus on young Māori. 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.

 

Family Violence

The Ministry continues to work with relevant agencies to reduce the incidence and impact of family and domestic violence against women. The Ministry is currently engaging with ethnic communities to better understand their particular needs with relation to responding to family and domestic violence. This engagement will allow the Ministry to more specifically promote the needs of these communities.

 

Last updated 22 September 2009