Addressing family violence and sexual violence
In order to strengthen New Zealanders’ ability to be resilient, we need to do all we can to make their communities inclusive, supportive and free from violence. Family violence and sexual violence are a reality for many people in New Zealand and can have intergenerational impacts on individuals and families. Exposure to family or sexual violence in childhood vastly increases the risk of violence in adulthood. We work with many other organisations to reduce harm from family violence and to improve the strength of whānau, families and communities.
We worked with the Joint Venture for Family Violence and Sexual Violence to improve services and safety for victims and to change long-standing behaviours and attitudes. The Joint Venture is tasked with developing a connected and effective national strategy and action plan to eliminate family violence and sexual violence.
Preventing family violence
Our family violence prevention initiatives18 mobilise communities and challenge the social norms that perpetuate family violence. The strength of these initiatives is that they invite communities to take ownership and create solutions that work for them.
In 2018/19 we engaged with communities to develop Frameworks for Change for E Tū Whānau and Pasefika Proud, and we developed a revised strategy for the Campaign for Action on Family Violence. This work, which is due to be finalised in late 2019, is informed by evidence and community engagement and will align with the Joint Venture’s national strategy for the elimination of family violence and sexual violence.
Other key achievements include:
- bringing more than 100 young tangata whenua and tauiwi from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds together for the second PALMs (Peaceful Action Leadership Movements) rangatahi hui in Rotorua in June 2019
- supporting community action to promote positive behaviour in men
- supporting Pacific communities to develop their own family violence prevention plans
- supporting capability building within Māori and Pacific communities.
We received funding in Budget 2019 to expand investment in these initiatives over the next four years. This increased investment will enable us to scale up, strengthen and further evaluate the positive differences these initiatives make for whānau and communities across New Zealand.
