October 31, 2012
Immediate action needed on long term violence plan
The director of Māori child advocacy group Te Mana Ririki says it could take two or three generations to get violence out of Māori families – but it needs to start now.
Anton Blank spoke to a women's refuge conference in Nelson over the weekend about programmes to address family violence.
He says a behaviour chance is needed in Maori communities, so people will be more willing to report abuse or intervene when they see children being assaulted.
He says if mothers stay with violent partners, the children can be as affected by witnessing domestic violence as if they were hit or abused themselves.
"Children who are brought up around violence, it impacts on their brain development, so what we know about those kids is they will be developmentally delayed, they will have problems at school, they will have problems with bed wetting, anxiety and depression, so it's really important that woman think carefully about their partners and what they are brining into the home and exposing their children to," Mr Blank says.
Copyright © 2013, Uma Broadcasting Ltd