Call for Women’s Refuge Enquiry
Women’s Refuge, thirty years established in New Zealand, is widely assumed to be universally respected, and to be the only such agency offering help, counselling and accommodation to victims of family violence. In N.Z. it holds an annual Appeal Week every June, complete with much innovative, and even at times highly questionable, media coverage and celebrity support.
Yet all is far from being what it seems with Women’s Refuge, and many have had deep concerns about its operation and huge amounts of public funding, and even long before this most recent call to have it greatly boosted.
Read this recent article by Barbara Faithfull: Public Enquiry Overdue: Let’s Start With Women’s Refuge
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Having just been involved with a situation where a mother chose to shatter her family, went to Women’s Refuge and was “Told what to say so as she qualified for the DPB and Housing NZ accomodation” (the mother let this slip), this article provides confirmation of the continued misandrist bias of this particular agency.
As to why funding has continued, even though they are no longer meeting the requirements of the government, one only has to look at Aunty Helen’s situation (check Ian Wishart’s article in the November 2003 Investigate magazine about our infamous leader’s sexual preference) to guess that her stance is highly unlikely to be “pro” men.
Again, a simple challenge to the government: show some honesty (say what you mean) and integrity (mean what you say). If the criteria for women’s refuge (the group) to get funding are not being met, then STOP FUNDING IMMEDIATELY!
I, for one, wish my tax dollar to be spent elsewhere.
A second simple challenge for the government: how quickly are you able to change from actively encouraging the SHATTERING of families to actively encouraging the unity and importance of families?
Equal shared parenting: just as it takes both a man and a woman to bring a child into the world, so takes both a mother and a father to raise a responsible adult.
Think carefully about it Aunty Helen and Uncle David [Cunliffe]. I’m planning to make my vote count next year; so are a very large number of people I know.
Comment by Mark Shipman — Tue 23rd November 2004 @ 1:19 pm
A huge Thank-you to Barbara for her commentary! It’s women like you Barbara that give inspiration to my hope that I’ll someday be able to return to NZ and be treated with due respect rather than as an emotional punchbag for vexatious fems.
As those who know me well will testify I’ve been repeatedly and horribly slammed over 2 decades now in the NZ social services workplace, whilst out socialising, in academia, in the family court, in the public media, and in personal relationships with many women who’ve taken to feminist ideology. Despite this and because of the rare and wonderful compassion and humility towards men from women like Barbara, Muriel Newman and John P’s partner Felicity I’ve never given up on NZ women. You shine light upon the poisonous darkness of NZ misandry whereby it can be more clearly seen and dealt with.
May your kindness be returned a thousand times.
Stephen Gee.
Comment by Stephen — Tue 23rd November 2004 @ 4:25 pm
Has Barbara ever been abused? Obviously not! Otherwise this rubbish would not come out of her uneducated mouth. You may want to look at your stats first before writing this c***. “Huge amounts of public funding” a mere 22% from CYFS!! barely enough to pay the rent on a much needed safehouse! We do not detroy families, we make women and children safe. Would you really expect your own daughter to stay in a relationship where she is tormented everyday , abused with weapons such as knives, insulted everytime she opens her mouth? All for the love of god/religion. I feel your article in highly offensive for the 100’s of women who give up their time/sleep/lives to answer a 3am crisis call for a women who has been abused at the hands of either her male partner OR her female partner.
Comment by lois — Wed 23rd April 2008 @ 1:00 pm
Lois, you obviously don’t work in a women’s refuge.
Every year the feminists push for more money for DV. 2007 has been a huge money collecting year with huge promotion for a movement into family violence. Except violence against men.
If you worked in a refuge you would know that the money doesn’t go to the refuges. It goes to the women’s groups who lobby to change the laws and the system to suit the feminists agenda. OK, some goes to the refuges but they themselves have to collect their own money. There is a lot of money being misused through Women’s refuges.
When the CEO of the National centre says things like, “DV rose drastically when the All Blacks lost to France”, no-one can verify or prove it wrong because the statistics didn’t come in for a least a month. And the crisis line said they did not get an increase and the police family violence units said they did not get an increase.
Corruption is normal when powers get too big. Why would you expect it to be any different in the Women’s Affairs which does not have to answer to anyone? This is happening in all the Western Countries. It is run through the United Nations.
When one country of women say something, all the countries say the same thing. But if you try and show statistics to prove them wrong they won’t even look at them and say, “Statistics are not reliable”. The reason they say this is because they know their own statistics are falsified.
Here’s a good place for you to start learning a thing or two.
http://www.ejfi.org/DV/dv-3.htm
Comment by julie — Wed 23rd April 2008 @ 3:01 pm
Hi guys, my wife and her children were being abused by a 36yr old man, when she went to the womans refuge on the North Shore recomended by cypfs, her children were being abused by a 6yr old indian boy who was left to run wild throwing her 2yr old and 5mth old around, she spoke with the boys mother numerous times and was ignored, when she approached different woman who run the place it caused problems for her and the morning she found her baby dead all these people accused her of killing her precious little girl that she loves so much, cypfs gave the 36yr old abuser custody of her 2yr old who has been in someone elses care the past few years, womans refuge threw her out onto the street
Comment by Hadi Akbari — Wed 23rd April 2008 @ 6:25 pm
Dear Lois,
Women’s Refuge receives $5.5 million funding from Government. This funding equates to only 42% of Refuge’s activity.
They run 49 safe houses throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand including kaupapa Maori and Pacifica Refuges and Refuges for Asian, migrant and refugee women.
Averaging $112,244.89 each refuge per annum.
I on the other hand receive nil, I work many hours to provide for myself and finance the refuge.
Yet the latest comprehensive studies indicate intimate partner violence is equally perpetrated by both gender.
Kind Regards
Paul Catton
East Auckland Refuge for Men and Families
(09) 940 6236
Comment by Paul Catton — Wed 23rd April 2008 @ 7:14 pm
Dear Lois,
The information and figures I have provided were supplied by the Womens Refuge.
If 5.5 million represents 42% of activity from the actual amount of funding from all sources, then total funding is $13,095,238.09, averaging at $267,249,75 per refuge per annum.
Where does this vast amount of money get utilised?
Building rental and utilities may perhaps generously account for 10% expenditure of total funds.
Maybe Barbara is right on the nail with her expose?
If you do have actual data to refute any of Barabara’s claim or the data put out by Womens Refuge that I have supplied, please furnish it.
I believe none will be forthcoming.
Kind Regards
Paul Catton
East Auckland Refuge for Men and Families
(09) 940 6236
Comment by Paul Catton — Thu 24th April 2008 @ 9:41 pm
Paul,
The refuges receive a lot more than what you say. There is CYFS and other Government departments paying out. Where money is available it is being sort after. And don’t forget the millions coming in through the Family Commission.
And then donations. They refuges themselves struggle.
Comment by julie — Thu 24th April 2008 @ 10:22 pm
Dear Julie,
The figures quoted are from the last published release (2006) of actual figures from the Womens Refuge.
The government says it will pay 100-percent of the cost of “existing” services it contracts for “essential social services”. What this means in dollar terms will be the subject of discussions and negotiation over coming months.
It does not cover the cost of services above the number that the government contracts or cover any new initiatives, projects or developments.
Saatchi & Saatchi have given them huge support by donating their creative talent to develop their twice annual national campaigns since 2001.
Therefore if currently $5.5 million of taxpayer money equates to 42% of activity, true figure is $13,095,238 averaging at $267,249 per refuge.
Again,with most recent studies exposing that intimate partner violence is committed by both gender on an almost equal basis, I still receive $0.
Good job philanthropist is in the dictionary.
Kind Regards
Paul
Comment by Paul Catton — Fri 25th April 2008 @ 10:02 am
Thursday April 3, 2008 The Press titles: DV High demand prompts call for funding
The National Collective of Independent Womesn’Refuge is applying for $2.5 million of extra funding. Crime figures published showed a national increase of 31.5 per cent in recorded domestic violence.
I have proof that the numbers are manifactured. My wife has been threatned to go to Women’s refuge otherwise they told her she will be regarded as negligent and legally prosecuted. She left me a letter to that effect. Scared she went to womens Refuge and followed their instructions that lead to protection orders
agaist her husband.
She has since been diagnosed with Post Traumatic stress disorder. I do not recognise her anymore. She is entirely a different person. Our Family is currently in the process of beeing destroyed legally. Our children are traumatised.
The abuse sustained by our children, my wife and myself is beyond belief.
I have nowhere to turn to. The law tells me to shut up.
What to do?
Comment by alma — Fri 25th April 2008 @ 5:13 pm
Little rectification.
My wife has been threatned to remove the children from her if she did not go to Women’s refuge otherwise they told her she will be regarded as negligent and legally prosecuted.
Comment by alma — Fri 25th April 2008 @ 5:32 pm
Alma, what you have experienced does happen. Women’s refuge and CYFS are closely connected. I feel sorry for you to go through this.
Which area of NZ are you?
Comment by julie — Fri 25th April 2008 @ 7:02 pm