NZ urged to face up to domestic violence
LONG thought of as one of the safest legs on backpackers’ round-the-world tickets, New Zealand has been forced to face hard realities in the wake of the murder of British tourist Grace Millane.
The soul-searching continued over the weekend at the latest public gathering to mark the death.
As more than 1,000 people took to the streets of Auckland to march in memory of the 22-year-old, some of New Zealand’s most influential women signed a letter to the government demanding it do more to address the country’s problem with domestic violence.
Thousands have attended vigils as they hope to heal the wounds left by a murder that has challenged the country’s view of itself as a welcoming destination for travellers.
The open letter, whose signatories include two former prime ministers, urged action “for Grace and for all the women who have lost their lives to violence in our country”. It declared the aftermath of Ms Millane’s death “a time for national soul-searching”.
While Ms Millane was not believed to be in a relationship with the man accused of her murder, the fact that they reportedly met on a dating app has thrust her death into the realm of intimate partner violence. New Zealand has some of the worst rates of domestic violence among higher-income countries. Every four minutes the police respond to a call-out for domestic violence; 75 per cent of homicide victims killed by their partners are female.
The open letter comes a week after Ms Millane’s body was found dumped in a west Auckland forest, leading to 26-year-old Jesse Kempson being charged with her murder.
If Kempson is convicted, Ms Millane’s name will join a list of 15 other women murdered by men in New Zealand this year. Jane Drumm, of Shine, a domestic violence charity, said it was appropriate Ms Millane’s death led to broader awareness about New Zealanders’ violence against women.