annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

Pocock, T. (2003). Making connections: The experiences of women and children in situations ofdomestic violence. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Auckland, New Zealand.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13038.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Child abuse and neglect, Women, Children, Children asvictims, Children as witnesses, GenderAbstract: This qualitative research draws on feminist and poststructuralist theory to explorethe experiences of women and children in situations of domestic violence, and criticallyexamine the overlap between domestic violence and child abuse in this context. Pocockinterviewed 13 women who had experienced violence from their male partner and 13 of thewomen’s children.Pocock found that nearly all of the children saw, overheard or became aware of the violence,threats, intimidation and/or controlling behaviour that took place, but their experience of theirfathers’ abuse extended far beyond witnessing. The children were exposed to several of thesame physical, as well as non-physical, dimensions of abuse as their mothers, and theviolence impacted on them in a variety of ways. Children talked about being distressed,fearful, confused, anxious, never feeling happy or secure, living in constant alert and tension,feeling powerless in their relationships with their fathers, and resentful.The interviews with women revealed that their experiences of abuse, manipulation andcontrol around their children comprised a fundamental, but much neglected, dimension oftheir abuse. Children were deployed in a variety of ways by their abusive fathers (such asthreatening to kill or hurt the children), to co-opt the women’s compliance or submission, topunish, and to complicate or undermine the choices they had in dealing with and resisting hiscontrol and abuse. Men’s attempts to interfere with and undermine women’s relationshipswith their children, in tandem with the father’s ability to manipulate their children’sperceptions and loyalties, impacted on how women and children ascribed responsibility andblame.Pocock challenges conceptualisations of the ‘separateness’ of domestically violent men’srelationships with their children and identifies the numerous ways in which women andchildren’s experiences, safety and recovery are intimately connected. She maintains that anunderstanding of the connection between partner and child abuse should be central to the waywe approach, work with, and legally respond to women and children in situations of domesticviolence.Source: Author’s abstractPocock, T., & Cram, F. (1996). Children of battered women. Waikato Law Review, 4(1), 77-100.Retrieved January 17, 2006, from http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/wlr/special_1996/3_pocockcram.htmlSee: www.nzfvc.org.nz/12973.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Child abuse and neglect, Families, Women, Children,Children as witnesses, Care and contact, LegislationAbstract: This article reviews the literature and research surrounding the risk factorsassociated with children witnessing domestic violence. The authors begin by discussing thetrauma that children experience from witnessing domestic abuse and the subsequent socialfunctioning-related consequences. Evidence from research to date suggests that children ofbattered women are more isolated from their social networks and have lower levels of ‘socialcompetence’ that their peers. The authors discuss the risk of the ‘intergenerational148