annotated bibliography of new zealand research into family violence

Abstract: This conference paper details research undertaken by the author on repeatedbreaches of protection orders in New Zealand. The research involved 20 detailed case studiesof battered women who had obtained protection orders that were later breached, as well asover 70 interviews with professionals working in the domestic violence field, such as Familyand District Court Judges, refuge workers, and police officers. The author found that the legalsystem consistently trivialised violence against women and children, and engaged in partlyblaming victims for the violence. She also found that Court counselling programmes lackedthe safety protocols to keep women from being attacked, and in one case murdered, after thecounselling session. Women also reported that they had been intimidated by their estrangedpartner once the session had ended, and that there was a lack of culturally sensitive methodsfor Maori and Pacific Island women. The author concluded that there is no one ‘magic bullet’in dealing with domestic violence, and instead, a community-wide approach must be used thatunites all agencies under the one common goal of providing independence for victims, andholding batterers accountable.Busch, R., & Robertson, N. (1997). The gap goes on: An analysis of issues under the DomesticViolence Act 1995. New Zealand Universities’ Law Review, 17(4), 337-378.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/13093.pubTopic Areas: Intimate partner abuse, Physical abuse, Victims/survivors, Justice, Legislation,Social services, Prevention/intervention/treatment, Intersectoral collaborationAbstract: This article looks at the impact of the Domestic Violence Act (1995) on the gapbetween what victims of domestic violence need and what they receive. Preliminary findingsshowed that the new Act introduced positive changes. These include the need for judges toconsider psychological abuse when making decisions about the welfare of children, and alesser focus on physical abuse, allowing other types of power and control mechanisms to beconsidered, reflecting the reality for women more closely. However, the authors maintain thatthere are still problems with the way the Act is implemented, such as an attitude that victims‘provoke’ domestic violence incidents, and that custody decisions do not take note ofprotection orders between spouses. Thus, whilst current legislation has solved someproblems, it has also created others.The authors argue that there is no one single method that will solve the problem of domesticviolence, and recommend a comprehensive community-wide effort involving Police, Refugeand other social services to offer women autonomy and to hold men accountable for theiractions.Cagney, M. (1998). Counselling men who sexually abuse: Managing the dual demands of respect andconfrontation. New Zealand Journal of Counselling, 19(1), 54-61.See: www.nzfvc.org.nz/12981.pubTopic Areas: Sexual abuse, Perpetrators/offenders, Prevention/intervention/treatment,Cultural practiceAbstract: This article examines the difficulties for professionals when working with sexoffenders. The worker in this case often experienced conflict between their own personalvalues and that of the profession in responding to clients who sexually offend. The authorsuggests that the way the professional reacts will affect the treatment plan of the client. Thearticle discusses models of treatment, namely Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), andintegrated frameworks of practice. The author contends that confrontation based oncompassion and respect within the CBT framework can be a catalyst for change for sexualabuse offenders.22