List MP Angie Warren-Clark, will present the Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill in Parliament today. This bill is the dream of Ashley Jones, who has been fighting for changes in the Divorce Laws for those in abusive marriages for the past 3 years.

Ashley's story is of one woman taking on the law system to help thousands of others with the same experience. She has never given up on herself, or the belief that all victims of abuse should have more rights. After leaving her abusive marriage in 2020 Ashley found herself in the 2-year limbo of separation required under law before she could file the divorce papers. During that time, she was subjected to financial and emotional abuse from her husband who refused to properly engage with the separation proceedings. In Ashley’s case, after 2 harrowing years she tried to file her divorce papers. But was told that because she didn’t know her husband’s whereabouts her documents couldn’t be processed. It took a further 11 months before she was officially divorced from her abusive husband.

With support from Hutt Valley Women’s Refuge, Ashley decided she could use her story to highlight the outdated law and help other people in abusive marriages by petitioning for a law change. In 2021 Ashley took her petition to the steps of Parliament. “CHANGE OUR ARCHAIC DIVORCE LAWS SO ABUSE VICTIMS CAN BE FREE OF THEIR ABUSER” was signed by 5,310 people and gained a lot of publicity across mainstream NZ media. The general feedback was of disbelief of why the current law is still in place and how much it disables victims of family violence. In many other countries when there is evidence of spousal abuse the divorce is granted quickly enabling people to no longer be trapped in the control of their abusive ex partners for two years after separation.

“I hold so much anger towards these outdated laws and systems that do nothing to help victims of abuse and instead only exacerbate their ongoing trauma." Ashley says.

Ashley is a former client of Hutt Valley Women’s Refuge, they have walked alongside her as she found the courage to leave her abusive marriage and made it her mission that no one else should have to go through what she did in order to be able to move on and live her life free of violence and control of an abusive partner. Hutt Valley Women’s Refuge is incredibly proud of Ashley and all she has achieved; she is making a huge difference to the thousands of women and children impacted by family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand.

DIVORCE LAW READING PARLIAMENT WEDNESDAY 3OTH AUGUST 2023

7.30 pm

READING BY: LIST MP ANGIE WARREN-CLARK

• Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill
  • Draft for Consultation by Angie Warren-Clark
• Member’s Bill

General Policy Statement

Everyone deserves to live a life free of violence and all people should have the right to feel safe in a relationship and to leave that relationship if they experience family violence. Addressing family violence is essential for improving the wellbeing of families and children. This Bill intends to reduce the harm that family violence causes in New Zealand by allowing a party to a marriage or civil union to apply for an order dissolving a marriage or civil union if they have been the victim of family violence inflicted by the other party in the relationship (as evidenced by a court’s decision to register a protection order under the Family Violence Act 2018 or via the Sentencing Act 2002).

Read the rest of the bill here:

https://selectcommittees.parliament.nz/v/6/b7023b12-b253-4bd9-9bea-acdefc5185b3

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