Domestic violence in New Zealand, often called family violence or family harm is defined under New Zealand law as not only intimate partner violence but also violence against other family members, including children and extended family or whānau, as well as people living together in the same household, such as flatmates.[1] It is estimated that one third of people in New Zealand have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) within their lifetime, making New Zealand have the highest rate of domestic violence in 14 OECD countries. In 2020, New Zealand police responded to a domestic violence call every 4 minutes.[2]
The New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse was launched in 2005 and is operated by the University of Auckland, under a contract funded by Te Puna Aonui. (nzfvc.org.nz). Data collected and reviewed by NZFVC has found that in 2016, 89% of people in New Zealand who sought a protection order were women. Men made up 89% of the respondents to protection orders.[3]
The Family Violence Death Review Committe found that in the period 2009–2018, 88 New Zealand women were murdered by their partners. Of the women who were killed, 51% had left their abusive partner within the last three months. A further 14% of women who were killed had left their partner more than three months before they were murdered. This indicates that separation does not equal safety.[4]
The New Zealand Family Violence Death Review Committee notes that where a woman had killed her partner, the violence often had “strong defensive features”.
Research shows that strangulation, substance abuse, gun ownership, extreme jealousy, forced sex, isolation from friends and family, having a child from a different biological parent in the home, threats to kill, threats of suicide, threats during pregnancy, and stalking are all high-risk factors for being murdered by a partner. The risk is highest in the three months after a woman leaves and doesn’t drop significantly until 12 months have passed. [5]
The Ministry of Health has suggested that Māori women and children often use health and community services later than others, meaning that when they do their injuries and issues are more serious.[6]
- ^ "Domestic violence – Te Ara Encyclopedia of New Zealand". teara.govt.nz. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
- ^ "New Zealand domestic violence services to get $200m as lockdown takes toll". TheGuardian.com. May 11, 2020.
- ^ "Data Summaries 2017: Snapshot" (PDF). June 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "FVDRC_2021_IPV_English_print-v2" (PDF).
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Rachel Louise Snyder | No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us. June 27, 2019. Archived from the original on August 11, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Family Violence Intervention Guidelines – Child and Partner Abuse" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2016.