Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
The University of Auckland

Victims of partner violence often speak out but don’t always get help

Over three-quarters of New Zealand women who experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner told someone about the abuse, but nearly half of them did not get the help they sought.

The findings are part of a University of Auckland study published earlier this year in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Study author, Dr Janet Fanslow, says in contrast to other parts of the world, it is clear that domestic violence in New Zealand is not exactly a private and secret matter, with 75 percent of abused women speaking out about it.

“The challenge is less about getting people to talk about the problem and more about establishing and maintaining mechanisms to ensure women receive the help they need, when they need it,” she says.

“The fact that 40 percent of abused women reported that no one had tried to help them suggests we’re a long way from achieving this aim.”

Most of the women who did speak out about violence first talked to family or friends and Dr Fanslow says broader community outreach is required to ensure that family and friends are able to provide appropriate support for women who are seeking help.

Fewer women reported speaking to agencies such as the police, health care providers, or women’s refuge. Of those who did, only the Women’s Refuge was reported to be helpful by all women. Doctors were reported to be helpful by about half of the women who told them about the abuse and counsellors or mental health workers were considered helpful by about two-thirds of women who told them about the abuse.

The main reasons that women sought help were because they could “not endure more”, they were badly injured or because their partner had threatened or tried to kill them. Women also sought help because their children were suffering, or the children had been hit or threatened.

Dr Fanslow says while initiatives to improve responses to victims are important, the real need is to invest in prevention.

“Sadly, the government has just disestablished the ACC family and sexual violence prevention workstream. This is a significant loss. It was one of the few government initiatives focussed on preventing violence before it occurs,” she says.

This is the largest study of violence against women ever undertaken in New Zealand. It is part of a collaboration with the World Health Organisation multi-country study on violence against women, in which 30,000 women from 10 countries have been interviewed about intimate partner violence (IPV).

Notes:
The study involved a team of 40 interviewers surveying nearly 3,000 women, aged between 18 and 64, in Auckland and Waikato in 2003. All interviews were conducted in private.

The project was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

The It's not OK Campaign's new focus is encouraging friends and family to offer help when they know someone who is living with violence, whether they are a victim or a perpetrator. New TV ads screen from Sunday 22 August and there is information for people wanting to help on the Campaign website at www.areyouok.org.nz or by phoning 0800 456 450

The Journal of Interpersonal Violence offers the most up-to-date information on domestic violence, rape, child sexual abuse and other violent crimes.
http://www.uk.sagepub.com/home.nav

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