annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

and manslaughter of their children. Both Tania and Lavinia were themselves victims ofdomestic violence committed by their partners. In both cases, the abuse of their children bytheir partners persevered for some period of time, but neither Tania nor Lavinia intervened.Both women stipulated that they were too frightened of their partner to prevent further abuseof their child. However, the courts viewed these two cases differently: Tania was found guiltyand received 16 years imprisonment as she was seen as partially responsible for the abuse;whereas, Lavinia was seen as helpless and was found not guilty. The article discusses‘battered woman’s syndrome’ and how this affects a woman’s culpability in child abusecases. The author contends that the context of domestic violence is not recognised in cases ofthis kind in New Zealand.McDonald, E. (2003, May). Hearsay in domestic violence cases. New Zealand Law Journal, 174-176.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13022.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Women, Justice, PolicyAbstract: This article explores domestic violence prosecutions when the victim is absent.The ‘inability’ of the victim to testify leads to the admission of hearsay evidence. The authorexamines the definition of, and what constitutes the ‘inability’ to give evidence. Court casesare used to illustrate situations of victimless domestic violence prosecutions. Implications forpolicy are discussed, including the need to be explicit about how to best protect victims ofdomestic violence.McGregor, K. (1996). Children’s voices: A study of children who have experienced statutoryinvestigations into allegations of child sexual abuse. Unpublished master’s thesis, Universityof Auckland, New Zealand.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13135.pubTopic Areas: Child abuse and neglect, Sexual abuse, Children, Adolescents, Children asvictims, Justice, Legislation, Policy, Social services, Prevention/intervention/treatment,Demographics/statistics, Intersectoral collaborationAbstract: This study asked 5 girls, aged between 12 and 16 years, who made eightcomplaints of sexual abuse, to identify helpful and unhelpful aspects of interventions bysocial workers, medical practitioners, police, lawyers, psychologists and counsellors.Initially an open ended questionnaire was used in a group setting; this was followed up by asemi-structured individual interview. The results showed that most of the girls found theintervention processes frightening at first; therefore having procedures explained to them washelpful. The girls expressed the wish that professionals talk directly to them rather than justtheir caregivers. The participants commented that making a statement to the authorities wasdifficult. Having to give details of the abuse to any professional brought unwelcome feelingsback and they very much disliked feeling pushed to disclose information. Medical procedureswere disliked because of the discomfort, the embarrassment and the feelings of vulnerabilitythat were evoked. Some girls said they felt disbelieved by police, others complained of a lackof liaison. Unresolved police cases left girls feeling in a state of limbo. Many professionals,including lawyers, police and counsellors, were criticised for being insensitive and rejecting.Sensitive and supportive personnel were appreciated and valued by the girls. The studyhighlights the need for investigative personnel to be more available, highly trained,effectively coordinated, monitored and accountable than they have been. It is suggested aquality control system is needed. In addition, an urgent need for prevention education isrecommended as a result of the finding that three of the five girls had been sexually abused bymore than one offender. Discussion on the development of policy in New Zealand is included.116