A family is a place where everyone should be safe, yet violence, abuse and neglect within the family are major problems in New Zealand, which often goes unreported.
New Zealand boasts to tighten up its laws against domestic violence. But is it really true?
We know that many crimes of violence against women are not reported to police, but what about those that are reported?
Are the perpetrators identified, charged and successfully prosecuted?
Its leaders fear that the crisis, which a government taskforce has described as ’shameful’ and an ‘epidemic’, has grown to the point that it could damage the nation’s reputation.
Staggering data shows
1. One in three women experiences physical or sexual violence from a partner in her lifetime.
2. During the past year, police attended almost 11,000 incidents of family violence, about one incident every eight minutes.
3. Half of New Zealand’s murders are a result of domestic violence. And nearly, one woman is killed by her (ex) partner every 2 1/2 weeks.
4. Domestic violence is the fifth leading cause of death from injury for New Zealand women.
5. 15% of Women’s refuge residents have a permanent disability because of battering and 4% can no longer have children.
6. Only 12% of all victims of abuse ever come to the notice of the justice system.
7. Abused women are five times more likely to need mental health services and three times more likely to need other health services. Violence causes severe health deterioration across all mental and physical health measures.
Bottom line
Even women who have never been victims of violence are aware of their vulnerability and safety.
Family violence is not only a social issue but also a health issue because of the adverse physical, mental and social health consequences. Thus, one strategy is to assist health professionals to recognize and respond appropriately to family violence that they will come across in the course of their work.
They must offer practical assistance to those clients who disclose that they are living with violence.
Domestic abuse is a problem that will not disappear without positive action. Failure to address issues of violence may be interpreted by perpetrators as tacit agreement with their actions. So the victimized women must come out of their shells and address the problem openly.
In addition, economic and job assistance should be provided to the victims so that they could stand on their feet and experience the feeling of liberation. Help for victims, quicker trials and a special task force to consider tougher sentences for the criminals must be initiated.
Most importantly, women must be entitled to have free legal assistance right from the time of lodging a complaint until the proceeding culminates.
