Ministry Releases Sexual Violence Research

The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has released the first two reports from their two year research project titled Restoring soul: Effective interventions for adult victim/survivors of sexual violence.

The project is aimed at improving outcomes for victims of sexual violence. The research project was led by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, in partnership with the Ministry of Justice and the New Zealand Police. The Crime and Justice Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington was contracted to conduct the research.

The research sought to identify:
New Zealand’s sexual violence conviction rate
the key points at which, and reasons why, different groups of victims opt in and out of the criminal justice system
the basis for victims’ decisions about accessing non-criminal justice services such as counseling or other support
the key points at which government and non-government intervention and support is most effective
ways to improve the likelihood of victims making formal complaints and, where appropriate, persisting through the criminal justice process
options to improve service delivery within the criminal justice system.

For access to the released research and further information regarding the project please visit http://www.mwa.govt.nz/our-work/svrproject