Turia queries King’s concerns about family violence

Associate Minister of Social Development and Employment

Wednesday 16 December 2009

The Chair of the Ministerial Committee on Family Violence Committee, Tariana Turia, is asking why Annette King has raised her concern about victims in the last hours of the parliamentary term.

“I would suggest that if Mrs King had been genuinely committed to picking up on the issues for victims of violence, we would have expected to have seen progress made when she was a Minister during the previous terms of Government” said Mrs Turia.

“Ironically, it was in the last hours also of nine years of a Labour Government that the proposal for victim advocates emerged” said Mrs Turia.

“Just under a million dollars per financial year was allocated to establish independent victim advocates” said Mrs Turia.  "I am calling on that fund to foster family wellbeing at a community level, and to work to resolve issues within families over time, rather than just at an individual level when there is a crisis".

“One of the key issues for us is to consider a more meaningful approach to victims, which places them in the context of their family rather than being isolated out”.

“We want to look at supporting victims, particularly women and children, by taking a more comprehensive approach”.

“Family violence is never going to be resolved by separating out the various parts of a family – perpetrators, complainants, victims, children.  We need a whole of whanau approach, which can still pick up on the issues of victims of violence”.

“I would hope that we can work together, alongside the family violence sector, to achieve results in what is agreed is both a safe way forward and ultimately an approach that is more likely to be successful”.

ends
 

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