It's still not OK, say survivors of violence

Lisa Close. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Three years after the launch of the state-funded "It's not OK" campaign against domestic violence, a survivors' group says official systems still work against them.

The Wellington-based survivors, calling themselves "It's Still Not OK", have sent a report to the Government calling for sweeping changes to the justice system, child support, police processes and welfare policies.

Many of the changes have been proposed in previous reports by academics and the Government's own taskforce on family violence, but a comprehensive review of the 1995 Domestic Violence Act promised by Justice Minister Simon Power last year has yet to reach Parliament.

Group spokeswoman Lisa Close said amendments already tabled by the former Labour Government, including changes to the way protection orders are granted, were still on hold.

"Women tell me they feel twice abused - once by their partner and then again by the system," she said.

She said a core group of about six women, who had all left abusive relationships, met through Women's Refuge and worked on the report with a wider group who made contact after Ms Close appeared on a television programme last year.

The report says women still find it difficult to get protection orders against abusive former partners, and then find that partners are often not punished if they breach the orders.

"Victims of domestic violence must pay for their protection orders," it says. "They may apply for legal aid dependent upon their yearly income. This does not take into account their current financial position due to their circumstances."

It says judges hearing applications for protection orders often "concentrate on singular events rather than the cumulative effect" of long-term domestic violence.

Although Inland Revenue has powers to take money owing from defaulting abusers, the report says this is not done fast enough and abusers are allowed to pay arrears gradually to avoid causing them undue hardship.

"This occurs even though the perpetrator has had use of these funds during this time and despite the victims and their children having faced a financial crisis," it says.

The report advocates taking child support out of Inland Revenue and giving Family Court judges the power to order child support during protection order hearings.

The report says different police officers still interpret breaches of protection orders differently.

For example, some did not treat text contact as a breach if the texts were "pleasant", and some did not act on abusers who visited their ex-partners' supermarkets "because the respondent has a right to shop anywhere".

A spokeswoman for Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said Ms Bennett would read the report carefully.

Mr Power is still expected to introduce legislation at some stage.

Contact: itsstillnotok@gmail.com