Covid-19 lockdowns in NZ led to an increase in violence at home. Photo / 123RF
Covid-19 lockdowns in NZ led to an increase in violence at home. Photo / 123RF
Amid reports of a rise in domestic violence as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, employers are being urged to look out for and support staff who may be victims of harmful traditional practices.
A new report titled “Harmful Traditional Practices in the Workplace”, co-authored by AUT University Diversity Professor Edwina Pio, author Dr Roxanne Khan and human resources practitioner Vikashni Moore delves into these practices and its prevalence in New Zealand.
Such practices include female gender mutilation and forced marriages, which it said are “prevalent in communities where a commitment to tradition and social conservatism are highly valued”.
“There is currently no evidence of female gender mutilation being a practice in NZ. This is not to say that this practice may well be alive, but rather, as is evident from victims of domestic violence, it may be a matter of the practice not being reported,” the report said.
AUT University Professor of Diversity Professor Edwina Pio. Photo / Dean Purcell
New Zealand has the highest reported rate of domestic violence in the OECD, it said, and estimated that 76 per cent of incidents go unreported to the police.
Covid-19 related lockdowns led to an increase in violence at home incidents, ranging from 345 to 645 a day, with most victims likely to be Maori, Pasifika or Asian.
“Some of these cultural norms in these communities pertain to women agreeing to the male partner being the head of the family and a good wife being obedient to her husband, even if she disagreed,” the report said.
“Migrants, particularly Asians, lack understanding of their rights in NZ as victims. South Asian women victims do not report because they believe it is a private affair, they tend to feel a strong sense of shame.”
Covid-19 lockdowns in NZ led to an increase in violence at home. Photo / 123RF
It called on employers to take practical steps to support those affected, including having awareness strategies using culturally competent poster campaigns and having a dedicated workplace champion to provide support.
“Do not ask for evidence, and believe them” is the advice to employers when a staff member discloses they are a survivor or victim.
“You may have only one chance to speak to a potential victim and therefore only one chance to intervene,” the report said.
“If necessary consider the need for immediate police involvement.”
Professor Pio said the impetus for this report was her work and interaction over many months in various parts of the world, with women experiencing harm in its “various avatars” such as intimate partner violence, forced marriage and genital mutilation.
“Their cowering in fear, psychological self-flagellation, belief that they were of no value and angst about their family’s reputation despite broken bones and blackened eyes, broke my heart into a thousand pieces,” Pio said.
“Unfortunately many diasporic peoples bring aspects of negative behaviour into the receiving country.
“The report is a step towards talking openly about this scourge and providing tools especially for organisations who can actively seek to support such women and provide guidance for this extremely complex issue.”
FAMILY VIOLENCE - WHERE TO GET HELP
For anyone experiencing family violence, worried about their own abusive behaviour, or supporting someone else in these situations:
