Results of New Research on Protection Orders

New research on protection orders has found that women’s and children’s safety is compromised by the way the Domestic Violence Act (1995) is implemented.

The researchers, Dr Alison Towns & Hazel Scott, said the problem is not with the Act itself – rather with its implementation.

Towns and Scott argue that obtaining a protection order has become more difficult. They found that judges and lawyers were concerned to address a man’s right to fair legal procedures; however, this appeared to be at the expense of women’s and children’s right to safety. The fact that many women have to pay to get protection orders when safety should be a human right in a civilised society is a point of concern.

The results of the study also indicate that women’s advocates are losing confidence in the implementation of the Act because of the difficulty getting protection orders when needed. Advocates fear that if the courts and the police do not hold men who use violence accountable, women and children are placed at greater risk.

The researchers argue that priority in the courts needs to be given to women and children’s safety and the courts need to be adequately resourced to address this problem.

The study, Accountability, Natural Justice and Safety: The Protection Order Study, has been submitted for publication.

For more information contact Hazel Scott at: icwg@xtra.co.nz