Protection orders not enough: judge

A top judge has called for the creation of safety plans for domestic violence victims because protection orders aren't enough to save the lives of battered women and children.

Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier said last night that New Zealand had reached the point where if the Family Court made a protection order it needed to be accompanied by a safety plan for the protected person and the children who are covered by the court order.

"It is insufficient to merely make an order without a carefully negotiated safety plan. If we can create plans we may be able to save lives."

Judge Boshier told the Herald protection orders weren't enough. "We should be a bit more alarmed by people with protection orders who are injuring people."

Safety plans were steps victims could take if the person with an order against them turned hostile. It could be a plan to go to a friend's house or escape plan to get out of the house.

The judge said the plans shouldn't be seen as a doctor's script that would "cure all ills", but women had been killed by people they were supposed to be protected from and they needed more support than just issuing protection orders.

Cases that ended in murder were rare but a "tragic reality". He called the case of An An Liu, who was killed by her husband Nai Yin Xue who then abandoned their child, one of the saddest imaginable. "The child's mother had a protection order in her favour and yet she is now dead and her father has been found guilty. Cases such as these demonstrate we must do more to protect family victims of violence - we know that a protection order alone may be insufficient."

Judge Boshier told a gathering of child advocates last night that unless safety plans supplemented full protection orders more tragic cases would be seen.

While there was a greater understanding of family violence and what society needed to do to protect victims, he warned changing attitudes would take years.

"We must reinforce protection orders with specific safety plans for adults and children at risk. We must ensure that both adult victims and children are assisted with meaningful programmes that help explain the situation they face for the future and how to deal with its risk."