annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

Cultural practiceAbstract: This dissertation paper considers the effectiveness of New Zealand’s legal systemin providing justice for battered women. It argues that the way the legal system views batteredwomen underlies the decisions it makes regarding them, and therefore affects the measure ofjustice they receive. For Maori battered women, traditional Maori cultural methods of dealingwith domestic violence were forcibly replaced by English legal methods. This resulted ininappropriate and biased treatment of Maori battered women within the justice system.It is argued a contextual judicial approach would improve justice for battered women byconsidering factors such as class, sexuality, immigrant status, culture and race and how thesefactors intersect to shape particular battered women’s realities. This approach wouldunderscore the various tactics of power and control utilised by perpetrators. Better justice forMaori battered women could be provided through changes within the legal system and thedevelopment of more autonomous legal services and programmes.Part 1 examines the historical sources of bias in our legal culture. Part 2 outlines legislativeand feminist responses to the legal system’s inadequate treatment of battered women. Part 3canvasses the advantages and dangers of the use of ‘The Battered Woman Syndrome’ theoryto define battered women. This section illuminates weaknesses in the legal system’s responseto battered women. Part 5 summarises the necessary features of a legal system, which wouldimprove justice for battered women.Source: Author’s abstractMagdol, L., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Newman, D. L., Fagan, J., & Silva, P. A. (1997). Genderdifferences in partner violence in a birth cohort of 21-year-olds: Bridging the gap betweenclinical and epidemiological approaches. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology,65(1), 68-78. Retrieved December 8, 2005, from http://www.tulane.edu/~childpsy/Articles/JCCP1997.pdfSee: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13315.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Physical abuse, Women, Young persons, Perpetrators/offenders, Violence against men, Gender, Mental healthAbstract: This study used a representative sample from a birth cohort of 21-year-olds fromthe longitudinal Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study to investigategender differences in partner violence. The research examined 13 correlates of partnerviolence across five domains: socio-economic status; social ties; substance abuse; mentalhealth; and criminality. The research findings indicate that women are just as violent towardstheir partners as men, although male perpetrators are more likely to have deviantcharacteristics. Factors such as unemployment, low educational achievement, alcohol anddrug misuse, mental health issues, few social supports, and criminality were found tocorrelate with men’s involvement in severe physical violence. Women victims of severephysical violence were more likely than men to experience anxiety symptoms. The authorsdiscuss various theories surrounding gender differences in motivations for partner violence,and recommend further research in this area.Maher, P. A. (2005). A study of social work practitioners and their needs when intervening in cases ofelder abuse and neglect. Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Canterbury,Christchurch, New Zealand.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13133.pubTopic Areas: Elder abuse and neglect, Older persons, Prevention/intervention/treatment108