12 February 2014

Love Shouldn’t Hurt – Tackling Abuse in Ethnic Communities

A new national resource launching on Friday hopes to address a lack of awareness and understanding about family violence in Asian, African, Middle Eastern communities in New Zealand.

Minister of Social Development Paula Bennett will launch the booklet.

The ethnic diversity of New Zealand is growing with the latest census report indicating that in Auckland at least 40% of the population is of immigrant origin.

“Various cultural practices that may be disguised as custom and tradition actually violate fundamental human rights and safety needs of women and vulnerable children,” Shasha Ali spokesperson for Shakti said.

“The complexities of being ethnic minorities and immigrants in NZ may further add to barriers to getting help for family violence,” she said.

The new resource has been developed by Shakti Community Council in partnership with the national It’s not OK Campaign.

The booklet is in English and will be translated into Mandarin, Hindi and Farsi after the launch.

It will encourage members of the diverse ethnic communities to know that there are support services available for them and that every one is capable of doing something about this serious problem.

“Every member of the family, whether you are a parent, aunty, young person has a role to play and to speak out about abuse that occurs in our community.”

The launch is at Shakti national office, 153 Rathgar Road, Henderson, Auckland, at 10am on Friday 14 February, Valentine’s Day.

ENDS

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