Comparing wellbeing outcomes for reporting versus non-reporting victims of family and sexual violence in Aotearoa New Zealand
Date
Thursday 25 July 2024
Time
2-3pm
Location
Online
Organised by
Te Puna Haumaru - New Zealand Institute for Security and Crime Science
Cost
Free
In this Te Puna Haumaru Seminar, the presenters will discuss their research which used New Zealand Crime and Victim Survey responses together with linked longitudinal government data to compare wellbeing-related outcomes between reporting and non-reporting victims of family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Listing of training and other events does not constitute endorsement by the New Zealand Family Violence Clearinghouse. Information is as provided by the organiser. For further information or queries about training or events, please contact the organiser using the links or contact details provided.
Most family and sexual violence offences are not reported to police. It is assumed in public policy that increased formal reporting is desirable, enabling access to support services and criminal justice processes, thereby improving outcomes for victims. However, this is a largely untested assumption, and there are many reasons why reporting may be undesirable for victims (e.g., distress caused by the court process).
An important question is therefore raised: do non-reporters experience poorer wellbeing than those who make reports? To answer this question, the webinar's presenters analysed New Zealand Crime and Victim Survey responses together with linked longitudinal government data to compare wellbeing-related outcomes (e.g., access to mental health services; health outcomes; income) for reporting and non-reporting victims of family and sexual violence. The findings bring into question the assumption that reporting family and sexual violence is desirable from the perspective of victim wellbeing. Most victims in the sample chose not to report the offences they experienced, and the presenters observed few differences in wellbeing-related outcomes for the two groups. Taken together, the findings, the presenters suggest, indicate policymakers should re-evaluate how to best connect victims with support services post-offence, including ways to reinforce informal help-seeking and supports.
Speakers:
Devon Polaschek is the Director of Te Puna Haumaru and a Professor of Psychology at the University of Waikato
Apriel Jolliffe Simpson is a Lecturer in Forensic Psychology and for Te Puna Haumaru at the University of Waikato
Jacinta Cording is a Senior Lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Canterbury.
Please direct all questions to the organisers: nziscs@waikato.ac.nz.