A devastating human rights violation hurts nurses

From today, 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign’ begins..

The effects of suffering domestic violence is of great concern to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation. NZNO is a large professional organisation with 48,000 members. The majority of its members are women many of who will be victims of domestic violence given the extent of this problem in our society and many suffer violence at work too.

In 2012, almost half of all women who were victims of intentional homicide worldwide were killed by an intimate partner or family member.

Auckland Lead Organiser, Carol Beaumont says that in the last decade the nurses’ organisation has advocated strongly for legislation, policy and industrial responses including provisions in collective agreements that provide employment protection and support for victims of domestic violence who face the risk of domestic violence.

“Nurses deal with domestic violence in a number of ways – screening, support, treatment and prevention is part of their work. Nurses are often the first health professional victims of domestic violence engage with,” Ms Beaumont explains.

“We are strongly in favour of workplace support provisions and have raised them with employers in our collective bargaining.”

“NZNO is part of the movement to vote that the International Labour Organisation Conference adopt an instrument or instruments concerning violence and harassment in the world of work,” Carol Beaumont said.

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