annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

1-57. Retrieved February 9, 2006, from http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/wlr/special_1996/1_seuffert.htmlSee: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13036.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Women, Justice, Protection orders, Legislation,Cultural factors, Cultural practiceAbstract: This article presents the findings and conclusions of research that explored theinteractions of women survivors of domestic violence with their lawyers, and therecommendations to lawyers as a result of these interactions. The study involved in-depthqualitative interviews with 15 non-Maori women who had been subjected to domesticviolence, and interviews with lawyers who represent survivors of domestic violence. Firstly,the author briefly summarises the context of women’s experiences: the legal process involvedin obtaining non-violence and non-molestation orders, the histories of abuse that preceded thewomen’s applications for these orders, the gender bias in the legal system and amonglawyers, and the importance of safety to the women. The research findings, specificallyrelated to legal representation are then presented, including initial meetings with lawyers,counselling and mediation, and other specific aspects of client representation. Finally, theauthor discusses the importance of support for women during the process of representation,and of training for lawyers in the dynamics of domestic violence.An important caveat to consider is that the research was conducted while the DomesticProtection Act (1982) was in force. Therefore, in some instances the findings will be specificto practice and procedure under that Act. Some of these practices and procedures havechanged under the Domestic Violence Act (1995), and where appropriate, the article makesnote of these changes and of the likely impact on the findings that are presented.Seuffert, N. (1997). Battered women and self-defence. New Zealand Universities Law Review, 17(3),292-328.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/12960.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Physical abuse, Homicide, Women, Justice, Legislation,Gender, Mental healthAbstract: This article examines battered women who kill their abusive partner in selfdefence.Self-defence law is examined, and the author discusses Battered Woman Syndromeand its admissibility as evidence. New Zealand and Canadian self-defence laws are compared,and cases where women have killed their violent partners are used to highlight thecomplexities and inconsistencies of applying Battered Woman Syndrome as a defence. Thearticle discusses how stereotypes of women influence how the self-defence law is interpreted.The author suggests that the main players in the justice system need to have a betterunderstanding of the context in which women are led to kill their violent partners.Seymour, F. W. (1996). Memory and childhood abuse: The psychological evidence. Waikato LawReview, 4(1), 155-166. Retrieved February 7, 2006, from http://www.waikato.ac.nz/law/wlr/special_1996/6_seymour.htmlSee: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13042.pubTopic Areas: Child abuse and neglect, Sexual abuse, Children, Justice, Social servicesAbstract: This article critically examines the psychological evidence on the various issues offorgotten or repressed memories of childhood abuse, with an emphasis on childhood sexualabuse. The issue of whether forgetting occurs, whether memories are ‘repressed’, and whether162