New Resource Highlights Relationship Abuse

12 September, 2005

Family Planning is launching a new resource that it hopes will help young people understand the danger signs of relationship abuse, and give them information about where to go to for help if they are in a violent relationship.

The pocket-sized resource called “This isn’t love….This is control” has been developed by Family Planning’s Auckland Education Unit and the Ministry of Health as part of the Te Rito Strategy, which seeks to reduce violence and abuse.

Family Planning Director Health Promotion and Professional Development, Frances Bird, says the fold-out resource contains an outline of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and it challenges young people to think about their own behaviour and that of their partner.

“We know that young people can be subjected to a range of abuse and the booklet provides some strategies for building healthy relationships and exiting abusive relationships. Both men and women may experience abuse in relationships and determining the difference between love and control is clearly spelt out in the new resource.”

Ms Bird says focus groups were run in the preliminary research phase of the project and young people said violence was unacceptable.

“They told us what would be useful was a resource that listed the unsafe behaviours and also the positive elements of relationships. And they wanted lists of help agencies and contact phone numbers.”

Alongside this resource, Family Planning has developed a teaching module on positive and negative behaviours in relationships which can be used as part of teaching about healthy relationships, set out in the Health and Physical Education Curriculum.

The resource launch is being held in Auckland today and will involve a range of people working in the health and education field as well as staff and members of the Family Planning Association and Ministry of Health.

Copies of “This isn’t love…This is Control” can be obtained by contacting the Family Planning Resource Unit in Wellington 04 384 4349.

ENDS

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