Weekly Media Roundup

December 01, 2016 at 5:53 PM

Family violence perpetrators need better response

The call for improved responses is made in a paper published today by the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse.

“Victims of family violence absolutely need specialist services and support to enable their safety and recovery,” says author Professor Devon Polaschek, from Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Psychology.

“To reduce rates of family violence, we also need to invest in a system that responds to perpetrators.

“New Zealand has no such system and responses are piecemeal, insufficient and mired in a complex web of bureaucracy.”

Call for more employers to consider needs of workers affected by family violence

Employers who adopt a family violence policy could go beyond saving money - the move could save lives as well.

As part of Friday's White Ribbon Day, the Human Rights Commission launched a campaign aimed at encouraging businesses to introduce a family violence policy in their workplaces.

As domestic violence affected one in three women, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Dr Jackie Blue said hundreds of businesses around New Zealand would be feeling the effects as well.

Countdown supermarket announces family violence policy for employees

Countdown is the latest employer to announce its commitment to helping stamp out family violence.

On Friday to mark White Ribbon Day, the supermarket giant, which employs 18,000 people across New Zealand, launched a family violence policy.

Corporate affairs general manager James Walker said as one of the country's largest employers it wanted to ensure its staff had the necessary support to lead lives free of family violence.

Tolley rules out apology for child abuse in state care

Social Development Minister Anne Tolley will make no universal apology for the abuse of children in state care saying there is no evidence it was systemic.

There would be no independent inquiry either, she told Morning Report's Kim Hill, arguing it would only retraumatise victims.

Child abuse report 'shut down'

A former Human Rights Commissioner is accusing the government of killing off a critical report on the way it handled hundreds of cases of children abused in state care.

The report was written when Ros Noonan was Chief Human Rights Commissioner in 2011.

It was never published because, she says, the Attorney General Chris Finlayson did not like its recommendations.

Justice delayed, justice denied

Analysis - Between the 1950s and 1980s more than 100,000 children were taken from their families and put into state institutions. Many suffered abuse and neglect while in state care.

Judge 'lost faith' in govt's handling of state care child abuse

The judge who chaired a panel which heard from children abused in state care says there is no guarantee of the future safety of children unless an an independent body is set up to investigate.

Judge Carolyn Henwood also told Morning Report today that she lost faith in the way the government and the minister dealing with the abuse claims, when Social Development Minister Anne Tolley said about 3.5 percent of children placed in state care had made claims around abuse.

Toby Manhire: We need an inquiry now into child abuse in state care

Among the things Anne Tolley said during an engrossing interview this week with Kim Hill, on the subject of historic child abuse in state care, was this: "In some cases they've had an apology from me, and I was only a child at the time."

For straw-bombshell moments it was up there with Gerry Brownlee's recent revelation that geologists cannot actually stop earthquakes. It turns out that the current minister of social development was not a government minister, nor even a grown-up, from the 1940s through to the 1980s, when more than a thousand children suffered appalling abuse. She was only a child at the time, apparently, and are you suggesting eight-year-old Anne should have swept through the foster homes and borstals of the country, rescuing the poor wretches?

Drawing the line on state care abuse claims

Opinion - Cartoonist Toby Morris reacts to RNZ's interview with Social Development Minister Anne Tolley on the government's handling of historical state care abuse claims.

Minister questioned over new CYF law

The government is pushing ahead with its plans to introduce a bill that could remove more Māori children from their family and wider whānau.

The legislation is the second piece of work to overhaul Child, Youth and Family as it becomes the Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Oranga Tamariki.

The current Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act gives priority to placing a child with a member of their family or wider hapū and if that is not possible, then to someone who has the same tribal, racial or cultural background as the child.

The proposed legislation, being introduced in the next couple of weeks, removes that priority.

Another West Auckland abduction attempt

Another attempted child abduction has been reported in West Auckland, as police continue to hunt for the man who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy.

On Wednesday afternoon, an intermediate-aged girl was reportedly asked to get in a man's car on Summerland Drive, Henderson and a 17-year-old girl was followed by a dark coloured ute on nearby Lake Panorama Drive.

Our kids at risk: Losing and regaining mana in Kaikohe

For as long as Destiny O'Brien can remember, her father has been in and out of jail.

"It wasn't always bad, but there's not much you can do when you're on a benefit and you don't have a job and you've got five kids," she says.

"He would get drunk, he would come home, and he would be a different person. We would have to lock ourselves in the room."

Our kids at risk: How 77 kids have died in NZ state care

Almost 80 children have died in the care of the New Zealand state in the past 15 years - an average of five a year.

Data released by the Ministry of Social Development under the Official Information Act show that 38 children died of natural causes while in state care, 19 died in accidents, 14 committed suicide and six were victims of child abuse, homicide or manslaughter.

The worst years were 2004-05 and 2006-07, when nine children died in each year.

Domestic violence survivor waits 2 yrs for police decision

A Northland woman has waited almost two years for her complaint alleging police misconduct over repeated protection order breaches to be dealt with.

Ulanda Titford laid a police complaint in January 2015 accusing a senior constable of failing to take three breaches by her former partner, Gene Hanham, seriously.

Samoan domestic violence inquiry launching on Human Rights Day

Samoa's Ombudsman is aiming to launch a commission of inquiry into domestic violence on this year's Samoa Human Rights Day.

Maiava Iulai Toma, who also heads Samoa's human rights office, says 8 December (10 December in the rest of the world) will mark the start of a year-long investigation into violence within the family.

Samoa government figures show reported cases of domestic violence more than tripled from 2012 to 2015.

Tongan women's group hits back at survey critics

A Tonga women's rights organisation says critics of a survey showing 77 percent of women have experienced physical or sexual violence are in denial.

Last week, the Internal Affairs Minister Penisimani Fifita referred to the survey conducted by the Ma'a Fafine mo e Famili organisation at the launch of a 16-day anti-domestic violence campaign.

The project co-ordinator for the organisation, Gabriella 'Ilolahia, said the study, which was released in 2012, had been criticised by members of the public for exposing a shameful aspect of Tonga's culture.

Mother sees daughter "covered in blood" after alleged assault

A man accused of inflicting four years of domestic violence on his partner says he only hit her because she was going to stab him, after they had argued about him getting another woman pregnant.

But the punched woman's mother says her daughter regularly had black eyes.

Domestic violence alarms deterring offenders

Special alarms installed at the homes of domestic violence victims alerted police 25 times in the last year that former attackers were trying to break in.

The alarms were installed as part of a government initiative, the National Home Safety Service, to protect the most vulnerable victims of domestic violence.

Domestic violence victims employment bill drawn from ballot

A member's bill giving employment protection to victims of domestic violence has been drawn from the ballot today.

The bill, in the name of Green MP Jan Logie, aims to make it easier for victims who are being prevented from leaving home or working effectively, or, in the most extreme cases, are being stalked at work.

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Weekly Media Roundup

December 01, 2016 at 5:53 PM

Family violence perpetrators need better response

Call for more employers to consider needs of workers affected by family violence

Countdown supermarket announces family violence policy for employees

Tolley rules out apology for child abuse in state care

Child abuse report 'shut down'

Justice delayed, justice denied

Judge 'lost faith' in govt's handling of state care child abuse

Toby Manhire: We need an inquiry now into child abuse in state care

Drawing the line on state care abuse claims

Minister questioned over new CYF law

Another West Auckland abduction attempt

Our kids at risk: Losing and regaining mana in Kaikohe

Our kids at risk: How 77 kids have died in NZ state care

Domestic violence survivor waits 2 yrs for police decision

Samoan domestic violence inquiry launching on Human Rights Day

Tongan women's group hits back at survey critics

Mother sees daughter "covered in blood" after alleged assault

Domestic violence alarms deterring offenders

Domestic violence victims employment bill drawn from ballot