Research reports

The sexual violence research project generated four research reports and one overview report. You can download them below.

Restoring Soul: Effective interventions for adult victim/survivors of sexual violence – this report incorporates the four areas researched: environmental scan, attrition, pathways to recovery, and the literature review. It is the overview report that brings together the main themes that emerged from the other four inter-related reports. 
Restoring Soul: Effective interventions for adult victim/survivors of sexual violence (October 2009)

The pathways report and the overview report, Restoring Soul, have a strong focus on ‘what works’ to promote survivors’ recovery.

Responding to sexual violence: Pathways to recovery
Responding to sexual violence: Pathways to recovery (October 2009)

The attrition report and the environmental scan relate to systemic issues, particularly factors that influence attrition of sexual violation cases and that affect community services’ capacity to respond to survivors of sexual violence.

Responding to sexual violence: Environmental scan of New Zealand agencies
Responding to Sexual Violence: Environmental scan of New Zealand agencies (September 2009)

Responding to sexual violence: Attrition in the New Zealand criminal justice system
Responding to Sexual Violence: Attrition in the New Zealand criminal justice system (September 2009)

Responding to sexual violence: A review of literature on good practice
Responding to Sexual Violence: A review of literature on good practice (October 2009)

Speech given by the Minister of Women's Affairs Hon Pansy Wong at the launch of the last two publications (this link goes to an external page)

The report of the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence can be seen at http://www.justice.govt.nz/policy-and-consultation/taskforce-for-action-on-sexual-violence/the-taskforce-report

Background on the research project

In July 2007 the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the New Zealand Police, commenced a two-year research project into sexual violence against adults in New Zealand.

• New Zealand’s sexual violence conviction rate
• the key points at which, and reasons why, different groups of victims opt in and out of the criminal justice system
• the basis for victims’ decisions about accessing non-criminal justice services such as counselling or other support
• the key points at which government and non-government intervention and support is most effective
• ways to improve the likelihood of victims making formal complaints and, where appropriate, persisting through the criminal justice process
• options to improve service delivery within the criminal justice system.

• young women
• New Zealand European
• Māori
• Pacific
• ethnic, migrant and refugee
• people with disabilities
• rural
• male
• others.

 To read the project factsheet, click here for the Word version or HTML.

Stakeholder engagement

From August to December 2007, the research unit held meetings and workshops with different groups to assist in scoping the project.

An introductory workshop with some of MWA’s key stakeholders was held on 23 August 2007 in Wellington. To read the report from this workshop, please click here for a PDF or HTML.

Furthermore, the following workshops took place from October to December 2007:

• People with disabilities, Wellington: 18 October 2007 (click here for the PDF or HTML report)
• Pacific Island stakeholders, Manukau City: 7 November 2007 (click here for the PDF or HTML report)
• Ethnic, Migrant & Refugee stakeholders, Auckland: 8 November 2007 (click here for the PDF or HTML report)
• Auckland Service Providers, Mt Eden: 9 November 2007 (click here for the PDF or HTML report)
• Ethnic, Migrant & Refugee stakeholders, Wellington: 26 November 2007 (click here for the PDF or the HTML report)
• Māori practitioners, Whangarei: 13 December 2007(click here for the PDF or the HTML)
• Māori practitioners, Hamilton: 14 December 2007 (click here for the PDF or the HTML)
• Interview with David Hillman and Maqueenie Tait (click here for the PDF or the HTML).

 
In anticipation of the need for collaboration between researchers for the sexual violence research project, MWA held a researcher forum for interested researchers at the Kingsgate Portland Hotel in Wellington on 1 February 2008. Those who were unable to attend the forum can access the MWA presentation by clicking here (PDF version) or here (html version).
 

Research work streams

The Ministry of Women's Affairs sexual violence research consisted of the following four work streams:

1. an environmental scan of agencies and key informants that respond to victims/survivors, focusing on systemic, organisational and other contextual factors that influence systems and agency responses, including case studies in three socially and geographically diverse areas

2. a study of pathways from crisis to recovery, targeting individuals who have experienced sexual violence as adults and focusing on their experiences with a variety of support sources

3. a retrospective analysis of attrition and conviction rates, and factors associated with case outcomes, for specified sexual violation incidents recorded by Police between July 2005 and December 2007

4. a critical literature review outlining international and New Zealand perspectives on best practice in service delivery for victims, as well as challenges to implementing best practice in New Zealand.

The project was completed in October 2009.