Hon Pansy Wong

Minister of Women’s Affairs
6 March 2009 Media Release
New Zealanders will live up to our image

Women’s Affairs Minister Pansy Wong says the United Nations’ theme of today’s International Women’s Day - “Women and men uniting to end violence against women” - is a timely reminder to all New Zealanders that domestic violence is never okay.

At this morning’s annual International Women’s Day parliamentary breakfast, Mrs Wong set the scene of a vision for New Zealand to become the first nation to eliminate violence in our homes.

While New Zealand enjoys an international reputation as being a world leader for women’s rights after becoming the first nation to give women the vote in 1893, statistics show that a woman dies at the hands of someone they know every 26 days and that one in three Kiwi women will experience physical or sexual abuse at the hands of their partner over their lifetime.

“We enjoy a great reputation internationally, but nestled among our proud history is the overwhelming black mark of domestic violence,” she says.

“While I am proud that as a country have made great progress in terms of reporting incidents of domestic violence and that we don’t sweep it under the carpet, we must now take the next step and come together as men and women to eliminate domestic violence. We must challenge ourselves to live up to our international reputation.”

The National-led government has introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at tackling the problem of domestic violence; the Domestic Violence (Enhancing Safety) Bill, giving police the power to issue on-the-spot protection orders keep victims safe, and the Sentencing and Parole Reform Bill, which takes away the right of parole for repeat violent or sexual offenders sentenced to five or more years in jail.

“These two pieces of legislation will help protect women from abusive partners, but the problem of domestic violence can’t be solved by government and legislation alone. It is up to every New Zealander to stand up and say ‘No’ to domestic violence and to speak out on behalf of the victims.”

ENDS

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