Helping children in Aotearoa lead lives free from violence is the catch-cry of this year's annual Women's Refuge appeal, which starts on Monday.
The nationwide campaign is targeted at raising funds to go towards meeting the costs for services that the refuge provides for children across the country.
Figures show that just less thanhalf of the more than 40,000 women and children referred to Women's Refuge last year were children.
Women's Refuge Chief Executive Dr Ang Jury said: "We know that the impact of exposure to family violence is devastating for children, with some kids saying that witnessing family violence is more distressing than being the direct victims of violence by adults.
"Living with violence creates a sense of constant anxiety and stress, and this stress can damage if it's too much or lasts too long. When these tiny minds are exposed to severe, frequent, or ongoing stressful situations it can lead to an over-sensitive stress response.
"We can help them heal from this by providing one-on-one advocacy, programmes and workshops, groups - channels where kids can talk about their experiences in a safe and healing space," Dr Jury said.