"Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another"
- Henry Nouwen
As many as one in seven Catholic diocesan clergy in New Zealand have been accused of abuse, according to an investigation by the church. But groups representing victims say that is likely to be a fraction of the actual abuse…
Corrections staff who are victims of sexual assault in prison are not being treated sensitively or offered adequate support, a staff union says. Sexual assault charges have been laid against prisoners in 17 incidents where Corrections staff were assaulted in…
Research shows that LGBTQ communities experience high levels of suicidality and mental ill health. They also face significant barriers to accessing adequate mental health treatment in service settings. In response to these factors, it is likely that LGBTQ community members…
A 25-year plan to tackle the amount of violence in New Zealand homes is being unveiled by the government this morning. The country’s first National Strategy for eliminating family violence and sexual violence, called Te Aorerekura, will see 10 agencies…
There is a powerful misconception that the sexual predation of children and vulnerable adults within faith based institutions is invariably an issue of male on male or male on female assault. This is clearly not the case. Indeed, within the…
Children in sex assault trials are blamed for their own abuse, criticised for keeping secrets and repeatedly accused of lying by defence lawyers, causing extreme distress and undermining their ability to give evidence, a study has found. Judges either failed…
It finally feels as though Lake Alice survivors are being listened to after a former staff member was charged, says one former patient. Selwyn Leeks is a 92-year-old with dementia. As lead psychiatrist at the Lake Alice child and adolescent…
The Moral Drift is the name of an exhibition that is on at the Tauranga Art Gallery until January 23rd. The exhibition investigates a partial history of our state care system, uncovering a legacy of abuse and the resiliency of…
A new strategy aims to eliminate family and sexual violence without even using the word “perpetrator”. Will a plan focusing on healing and prevention be enough to turn our appalling statistics around? OPINION: If ever there was a poisoned chalice in…
Sexual abuse and sexual assault are complex phenomena that involve many factors (or correlates) and have many health and financial implications for individuals, families, and society. Every correlate needs to be studied in detail, individually and in relation to other…
John’s* life has been blighted by the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his Catholic school principal. Forty years on, he is having to appeal to the Marist Brothers for redress, the very institution who employed the perpetrator. John was…
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is rapidly becoming more prevalent online (Bursztein et al., 2019) as the number of people accessing it is increasing. This problem has only escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has prompted an unprecedented increase in…
