Wellington Women's Refuge Respond to Welfare Changes

Welfare reforms will make it harder for women to leave violent relationships. 

Wellington Women’s Refuge is calling on the government to rethink their proposed welfare reforms or risk making it harder for women and children to leave violent relationships.

“New Zealand has horrific domestic violence rates and our child homicide rates are some of the worst in the developed world,” Eleanor Butterworth, Education Coordinator for Wellington Women’s Refuge says, “so why are we making changes that make it even harder for women to leave violent relationships?”

“Many of the families we assist every year - 20,000 across New Zealand and nearly 840 in Wellington, are supported onto benefits as an interim step, and limiting their financial options will mean fewer women are able to escape a violent relationship.”

“The publicity around the proposed changes has already had a hugely stigmatising effect,” says Ms Butterworth, “We need the public to understand how important it is that the DPB is seen by women as a viable option for them and their children - not that it is the hiding place of those too lazy to work, and that social welfare is where they will be treated punitively for leaving a relationship.”

“Along with protection orders, the DBP is the only really useful tool that we have to help a woman see a way out for herself and her children.”

Wellington Women’s Refuge stresses that workplaces or study environments are not an automatic safe option for women trying to escape violence. In the past few months, Wellington Women’s Refuge has heard directly from a woman whose boss refused to make allowances for absence following a knife attack, even when a refuge worker intervened to explain the high risk situation.

Other recent examples include a woman who lost temp work after her ex-partner confiscated or destroyed all her photo identification and others who had their professional reputations damaged by an abusive relationship to the point where they could not continue at their jobs.

“The threat of being forced into work, will act as a considerable deterrent for women who know they have limited or no safe childcare, options , in NZ 42% of kidnappings and abductions are family violence related, these fears are real and if we want women to leave violent relationships there must be financial support options available”.
“It is a false economy to cut benefits and make it harder for these women, in the end the government will pay anyway each time they go to A&E, call the police, or require mental health support to cope.”

“These proposals are in direct contrast to all the ‘it’s not ok’ messages telling women they should feel supported to leave violent relationships. To allow the slashing of benefits by those who administer them is to give arbitrary power to Work and Income staff who are unqualified to be making such calls.”

“What the 75,000 children that police see at domestic violence call outs each year deserve is a carer who is well supported by our systems so they are able to provide consistency and nurture their families after the chaos of violence. The DPB is this option.”

In New Zealand every year domestic violence accounts for :
 39% of all homicides
 42% of all kidnappings and abductions
 44% of all grievous assaults
 64% of all serious assaults.
 34% minor assaults identified as family violence (Police NZ Statistics from Family Violence Clearinghouse)
 Wellington Women’s Refuge supported 590 women and children as clients in 2009 and had an increase in safehouse demand of 37.5%.