Unfortunately, it’s not news to any of us that the track record of domestic violence in this country is appalling.
A Ministry of Justice document released just this month indicates New Zealand has one of the highest reported rates of intimate partner violence in the developed world.
Last year police attended over 100,000 family violence incidents. On average, a family member will kill 14 women, seven men and eight children in New Zealand every year. And those are just the reported statistics.
What about same-sex intimate partner violence? Location-specific stats are hard to come by, however according to recent research by Dr Ian Cranstoun at Charles Sturt University, the incidence of violence in the NZ gay community mirrors that in the heterosexual community – but is grossly underreported.
Gradually, however, the legislative response to domestic violence is building. No longer is violence in the domestic sphere shrugged off as “just a domestic”, as it was only a few decades ago.
Abuse is possible anywhere – in any neighbourhood, any town, and any socio-economic bracket. It’s often emotional rather than physical, too. And just because you’re educated or wealthy or think you’re ‘smarter than that’ doesn’t mean you’re not in an abusive relationship or at risk. So learn the warning signals and be honest with yourself and your loved ones.