Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

White Ribbon response to family violence discussion paper

05 August 2015

Response to discussion paper “Strengthening New Zealand’s legislative response to family violence”.

Judge Peter Boshier, White Ribbon Chair, has welcomed the much tighter framework proposed for the handling of family violence cases in New Zealand. His comments come in response to the just released discussion paper on how we can improve on our appalling family violence record in New Zealand.

Judge Boshier says, “setting down guiding principles as suggested by the discussion paper would give better clarity and provide more certainty as to what should happen in domestic violence cases”. At the moment, it is too unclear what the consequences will be, and many victims feel discouraged by the process.

“If there can be a clear expectation that the breach of a protection order has consequences, our societal attitudes might change for the better”, he says. “We have seen clear examples where drunk drivers and disqualified drivers are routinely charged with very little exercise of discretion by authorities. And yet, when it comes to the much more evil social malaise of family violence, the consequences are far from clear.

Judge Boshier says, “there are many very good ideas in the discussion paper that are worth progressing and acting upon. The increased focus on victim safety is significant, and one way of really enhancing victim safety and better protecting children will be to routinely conduct risk assessments in family violence cases. This will provide a better understanding of the real risk victims and children may actually be facing.”

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Judge Boshier also believes, “that the suggestion to increase sharing of information will lead to better decision making and will further decrease risk.”

“There is a clear theme in this discussion paper of promoting victim safety, and making perpetrators of family violence more accountable. White Ribbon applauds this focus” he says.

Judge Boshier also warmly welcomes the idea of providing out of court assistance to both victims and perpetrators, saying “that self-referral where there is escalating conflict and, the beginning of domestic violence, may well save a life.”

A more in-depth analysis from Judge Boshier is available at http://whiteribbon.org.nz/category/news/

KEY STATISTICS

• One in three women will experience partner violence at some point in their lives

• Less than 20 per cent of abuse cases are reported

• Over 3,500 convictions are recorded against men each year for assaults on women

• On average, 14 women a year are killed by their partners or ex-partners

• Police attend a family violence incident every 5 ½ minutes

• Family violence accounts for half of all reported serious crime

• In 2014 Police responded to over 100,000 family violence incidents

KEY WHITE RIBBON MESSAGES

• Violence towards women is unacceptable

• Violence is not just physical

• Men are part of the solution

• You can help fix this problem by taking The Pledge

2015 will see White Ribbon launch a new November campaign focused on ‘Respectful Relationships’

ends

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.