Submissions open in inquiry into the funding of sexual violence services
Tue 27 Aug 2013
Public submissions are now being invited to a Social Services Committee inquiry into the funding of sexual violence services. The Terms of Reference ...
Public submissions are now being invited to a Social Services Committee inquiry into the funding of sexual violence services.
The Terms of Reference for the inquiry are to review:
- the state of specialist services and determine whether they reflect an integrated approach to service delivery, full coverage and best practice
- specialist services, including those for Māori and other diverse ethnic communities, and assess whether they are accessible, culturally appropriate, and sustainable.
Public submissions are being invited on the inquiry until Thursday 10 October 2013. Information on making a submission on this inquiry can be found on the New Zealand Parliament website.
The request for the inqury was made by Jan Logie, spokesperson for the Green Party on Women's Issues. Logie says it highlights the significant problem of sexual abuse in New Zealand and the underresourcing of specialist sexual violence services: "Sexual violence is a major problem in this country - one in three girls and one in eight boys suffer abuse and rates are higher for Maori, and vulnerable groups including disabled people. Specialist services significantly speed up recovery and allow people to get on with productive lives but they are also important in reducing offending and preventing more people being harmed".
Rape Prevention Education Executive Director Dr Kim McGregor says she is thrilled with the announcement. "The select committee inquiry will complement the cross-government review Minister Bennett has already started and adds the possibility of cross-party solutions to the current lack of specialist sexual violence prevention and intervention services throughout the country" she says.
Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care (DSAC) also welcomed the announcement. Deputy Chairperson Dr Cathy Stephenson hopes that the inquiry "will lead to a broader look at the funding of the entire sector, and be the first step towards achieving sustainable and equitable funding for all agencies involved in this crucial line of work".
Media:
John Key should “back” sexual violence survivors, Press Release: Green Party, Scoop, 11.11.2015
'Call to submit to select committee inquiry', Voxy, 23.09.2013
'Inquiry into the funding of specialist sexual violence social services', Media release: Social Services Committee, 21.08.2013
'Sexual violence support services inquiry welcomed', Voxy, 21.08.2013
'Enquiry into sexual assault services funding welcomed', Voxy, 25.08.2013
Image: New Zealand money by Kiwilad. Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Image: Kiwilad