annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

Ball, J. (1997). Male sexual abuse: The stories of six New Zealand men. Unpublished master’s thesis,University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13181.pubTopic Areas: Child abuse and neglect, Sexual abuse, Violence against men, Cultural factors,Gender, Drug and alcohol abuse, Demographics/statisticsAbstract: This study examined how sexual abuse during childhood affected 6 men, andinvestigated the participants’ beliefs and attitudes towards the sexual abuse of men. In-depthinterviews provided data concerning men’s perceptions of societal views regarding the sexualabuse of males. Other topics investigated included the long- and short-term effects of sexualabuse, disclosure issues, the significance of the sex of the abuser on the men’s dealing withbeing abused and participant’s views concerning potential relationships between being abusedand becoming an abuser. Analysis of the results revealed that the participants believed thatthe abuse of men is generally ignored and denied by society, especially in regard to the sexualabuse of boys by women. Participants asserted that females are much more likely to beperceived as victims by the general public than males are, and that society finds it easier tocomprehend the sexual assault of females than the sexual assault of males. Other findings ofthis research include that for some men in this study, being sexually abused creates fearsabout being thought of as gay or of being gay and led them to feel the need to prove theirmasculinity. Further, the participants in this study had heard of a connection between beingsexually abused and becoming an abuser, and felt deeply concerned that some people assumethat males who have been abused are likely to molest children. The men believed that theyhad developed a variety of short- and long-term effects of sexual abuse similar to those notedin the literature, such as interpersonal difficulties, alcohol and drug problems, eatingproblems, problems with their aggression, confusion over sexual orientation, and fear of andinability to initiate sexual relationships. Whether or not these problems could be a partialoutcome of their sexual abuse experiences could not be ascertained from the present research.It is recommended that an increase in public awareness regarding the abuse of male children,committed by both men and women, would make it easier for males to disclose that they havebeen abused. Suggestions for further research are included.Source: Author’s abstractBarnes, J. (2001). The use of firearms in intimate murder-suicide in Australia and New Zealand. NewZealand Sociology, 16(1), 242-250.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13099.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Physical abuse, Psychological/emotional abuse, Sexualabuse, Homicide, Suicide/self-harm, Women, GenderAbstract: The purpose of this article is to present an examination of murder-suicide as aprogression from domestic violence. Murder-suicide usually occurs in the context of anintimate relationship, with the majority of perpetrators being male, and the victims being theirfemale partners and/or children. During the period 1993 to 1998, New Zealand had 29murder-suicides cases, in which 63 people died. Murder-suicide is viewed as being at theextreme end on a continuum of domestic violence. In a high proportion of cases, violencecharacterises the relationship preceding the occurrence of murder-suicide. Most murdersuicidesoccur in the home, and a firearm is the weapon of choice in the majority of cases.Murder-suicide is discussed as an extreme form of sexual violence in the context of themale’s penchant for power and control, and the oppression of women. The author advocatesfor stringent gun control measures, as firearms play a significant role in converting domestic10