Family harm risk in MIQ

Police have responded to 25 family harm incidents in managed isolation hotels but domestic violence charities say more could be done to keep vulnerable people safe in MIQ.

Holly Carrington, a policy adviser for domestic abuse charity Shine, said the police figures might mask the true scale of the issue. Being cooped up in a hotel room 24/7 for two weeks was the kind of environment in which coercive controlling behaviour could flourish but at the same time opportunities to seek help were limited, she said.

Shine heard from a lot of women after lockdown who found it very difficult to get away from an abusive partner, in part because they lacked the time alone to plan, seek advice or emotional support.

In an MIQ room, it might be hard for a victim to even go online undetected, Carrington said. More than 127,000 people have passed through MIQ facilities since they opened last March. Carrington said domestic abuse in managed isolation should be viewed in the context of what has been called the shadow pandemic: An upsurge of violence against women in the past year. Police were called to 451 family harm incidents each day in 2020, compared with 414 each day on average in 2019.

Increasing numbers told half the story, Carrington said. ‘‘We are also seeing our frontline staff saying that the situations that we do get involved with are far more complex and overall a lot more high risk than they were a year ago.

‘‘In situations where there is lockdown . . . those tendencies to be coercively controlling can more easily escalate to serious violence because there is more ability to control that other person, and there are [fewer] options for them to get help.’’

The MIQ welcome pack includes a section on family violence, listing numbers for the It’s not OK family violence helpline and Safe to talk sexual violence helpline.

Carrington said it was important victims were able to access private spaces in order to call helplines.

‘‘What we need to do is offer people safe opportunities to get help before it gets to that point [of calling the police].’’

She echoed a call from Women’s Refuge chief executive Ang Jury for signs to be placed around MIQ facilities about where people can get help.

She said Shine would happily work with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which runs MIQ, on developing messaging and training for staff. However, neither Shine nor Women’s Refuge had been consulted.

MBIE said staff were provided with guidance by the family violence and sexual violence prevention team at the Ministry of Justice. ‘‘This guidance outlines common signs or disclosures of family or sexual violence, advice on how to respond and how to connect someone to a specialist helpline to get the support they need.’’

Police take the lead on instances of family violence and where necessary police will separate bubbles, for example by moving one partner to another room.

Initial health and wellbeing assessments and follow-up mental health checks are carried out by Ministry of Health staff in MIQ but Carrington said she was not reassured they were asking whether women were being harmed, or feeling scared or controlled by their partner.

Group Captain Peter Johnson, general manager for regional operations and delivery at MIQ, said steps were also taken to support returnees who might be at risk of abuse after leaving the facility.

Steps could include staggering exits, making sure at-risk people were on different flights to potential abusers, connecting people with services such as Shine and Women’s Refuge, and working with other support agencies through police.

‘‘In situations where there is lockdown . . . those tendencies to be coercively controlling can more easily escalate to serious violence.’’ Holly Carrington Shine