One-in-3 women face violence

Almost a third of Kiwi women and one in five men will experience violence and abuse at the hands of their partners.

The statistics are in a report made public today that will guide a crackdown on family violence.

The Families Commission's Family Violence Statistics Report aims to be a "one-stop shop" and create a benchmark to measure against.

Data collected from agencies dealing directly with victims and perpetrators covers the four years to the end of 2006. The report shows that family violence offences have been rising, with more than 32,000 recorded by police each year. More than half were serious assaults.

Between 2001 and 2006, family-related offences reported to police increased by more than 50 per cent.

Men reported psychological abuse from their partners more than women.

It is the first time the statistics have been collated to make family violence data more accessible.

Chief Families Commissioner Jan Pryor said the report was a reference document that provided insight into the makeup and extent of family violence. It would help researchers and policymakers better assess the effectiveness of interventions and identify gaps.

"Our collation of the statistics helps establish a baseline and we recommend that further reports are published at regular intervals so there can be better measurement and monitoring of trends, prevalence and changes in behaviour," Dr Pryor said.

It was hoped a second report would be completed in 2011 or 2012.

National Network of Stopping violence spokesman Brian Gardner welcomed the 288-page report, but said it was critical it was followed up every two or three years. "It will enable us to measure if we are making a difference and who we should be focusing our attention on most."

It would show where the best value for money came from in terms of campaigns, policing and education, he said. "Unfortunately we are world leaders in family violence, but we can change that."

Maori Party MP Tariana Turia said the report would guide the work of a new high-level ministerial group to deal with and eliminate family violence. "It's now time for us in Government to act to see what works, what doesn't and what will."

Family violence researcher Janet Fanslow said the report was a milestone toward ending family violence.

"While it is sobering in terms of the number of lives affected by family violence, the information it contains will be invaluable in terms of informing our next steps in combating the problem."

The data was collected from police, justice, health and social development ministries, Child, Youth and Family, Women's Refuge, Age Concern and Plunket, before the start of the It's Not OK campaign.

'PROBLEM GETTING WORSE'

As s girl, Lila Jones watched her father beat her mother, sometimes so brutally that her mother would be knocked out. The seven children would also be beaten by their alcoholic father.

Leaving home, Ms Jones vowed she'd never let a man hit her. But she married a man who controlled, intimidated and bullied her.

She was pregnant when he punched her for the first time. After 13 years of marriage and two children together, she left.

Now she works at the Hamilton Abuse Intervention Project, helping women like her.

She shared her experiences in the book It's Time We Started Telling These Stories, published last year.

She believed the Families Commission report was a good step because agencies needed to work together.

But even with increased awareness and campaigns the problem was not going away. "It's getting worse, it's not getting better."

THE NUMBERS

In 2006, there were 32,675 family-related offences recorded by police a 54 per cent rise over six years.

55 per cent were serious assaults.

45 per cent of all police apprehensions are men under 30.

One in three women and one in five men will experience partner violence.

Between 2001-2006:

Care and protection notifications rose 161 per cent.

Abuse and neglect doubled from 6295 to 12,453.

Emotional abuse increased 261 per cent.