Death of Hamilton toddler may vindicate Stretton’s cause
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Death of Hamilton toddler may vindicate Stretton’s cause.
International designer and founder of RAW (Reclaim Another Woman), Annah Stretton, says she backs the initial findings of Sir Glenn Owens long-awaited report on domestic violence and child abuse in our communities. The release of the report comes on the same day an 18-month-old baby boy, critically injured in an alleged assault in Hamilton, dies in hospital.
The report identified a recurring pattern of connection between abuse as a child, domestic violence and child neglect - children who were abused often became the next generation's abusers.
Stretton says that she is in total agreement with the reports findings, that children raised within a culture of family violence will become the next generation of offenders and she is hell bent on working with the women from these violent situations knowing that they will be the absolute game changers.
Aligned with Stretton’s own beliefs, Owen Glenn’s ‘First Report’ suggests that by helping young people find jobs, by helping parents back into work, by establishing stable routines for children at school and by reducing the barriers to living in violence-free contexts, individuals and families can lead productive lives.
Stretton’s RAW initiative believes that ALL women and children have a right to live without family violence.
RAW has been created to provide a significant other ( Mentor ) to walk at least a year's journey in support of a women wanting to rebuild her life through education, ensuring that all women find a safe and meaningful pathway forward as they seek to achieve the life that they desire for themselves and their children.
RAW believes that if you change a women's pathway then you begin to change a generation, as the women are the gatekeepers. The RAW program is making very real inroads into what is an extremely violent and destructive cycle existing in communities across New Zealand.
Since its March pilot launch in Hamilton, RAW has successfully paired over 80 women. RAW has recently launched in Christchurch and in Tauranga, with a launch in South Auckland planned for next month.
To learn more about RAW or visit www.raw.org.nz
Follow RAW on Facebook www.facebook.com/reclaiminganotherwoman