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December 20, 2019 at 12:48 PM

From the NZFVC

A new study led by Professor Denise Wilson explores the processes and strategies that Māori women use to keep safe in unsafe partner relationships.

The research also finds that negative judgment and attitudes, racism and discrimination often prevent wāhine Māori from accessing services and further entrap wāhine in violent relationships.

The report, E Tū Wāhine, E Tū Whānau: Wāhine Māori keeping safe in unsafe relationships (2019) affirms the need for new thinking and strategies that better support Māori women living with violence.

Launching the report, Professor Denise Wilson from AUT said:

"We need to reframe the way that we think about Māori women in unsafe relationships. They are not passive recipients of violence – they are intelligent and resourceful wāhine, who are highly motivated to keep their tamariki safe." 

Professor Wilson said despite living with partners who used violence, Māori women reported not feeling vulnerable until they had to ask for help. Negative interactions with agencies and services (including unhelpful staff, judgmental and racist attitudes, and denied entitlements) left wāhine feeling unsafe, defensive, disregarded and discouraged. Professor Wilson said:

"Such views and attitudes enable and sustain systems and services that discriminate and entrap them, and the people within them that interact with them in judgemental and racist ways."

The Māori women also said fear of having their children removed also prevented Māori women from seeking help. All participants had personal experience of having tamariki taken into state care, or knew other wāhine who did, and had been disempowered and silenced through the process.

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Click here to download the full report