Women ‘still being brutalised’
TAURANGA: Women with ‘‘smashed up’’ faces and teeth kicked out, who had been strangled, stomped on and brutalised were some of the horrific cases Tauranga Women's Refuge coped with over the Christmas season.
Refuge manager Hazel Hape was sick of the appalling violence being meted out in family homes.
‘‘I don't know what the hell is wrong with this town. The level of violence against women is just unacceptable.
‘‘We have seen some horrific injuries being sustained towards women.’’
Police said there were more callouts on average this holiday
season than the same time last year, but Ms Hape said not every victim of domestic violence called police.
Across the Western Bay of Plenty, police attended 100 family harm incidents in the fiveday period between 7am on December 31 and 7am on January 5.
Through the holiday season, the refuge had supported a woman who was knocked unconscious, then had her head stomped on — in public.
‘‘It's real,’’ Ms Hape said.
‘‘It's been really overwhelming, it's been challenging, it's been frustrating that women continue to be treated as chattels.
‘‘Based on what we have been dealing with, the brutalisation of women and children . . . has to stop and we are sick and tired of the catchcry of saying this every year.’’
The year had been hard, and although the need for the refuge was not as high as anticipated during the Covid19 lockdown, it picked up in the latter half of the year as people struggled with unemployment, anxiety and inability to afford food, Ms Hape said.
‘‘September, October, November has been very busy in the Covid19 space but over Christmas, we were very busy.’’
Ms Hape had made a note of campaigns and laws that had changed during the 17 years she had worked in the environment, but questioned why violence was still prevalent.
‘‘They are still being brutalised, they are still being strangled.
‘‘What are we up to?
‘‘Why do we have women that still have their heads stomped on, literally?’’
District prevention manager Inspector Steve Bullock said the summer period could be challenging for some families.
‘‘Financial and family stress, often combined with the consumption of alcohol, can contribute to an increase in family harm incidents.’’
Insp Bullock said family violence remained a complicated issue that needed help from all angles.
‘‘[It] can only be improved by all government, NGOs [nongovernment organisations], community and iwi groups working together to solve the often inherent social and historic issues that exist in our communities.’’