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Another day, another report

Did you know we had a "Family Violence Death Review Committee"?

It's in the Ministry of Health and came into existence in 2008 under the last Labour government.

OK this committee has just tabled its first report to Parliament and generated a shock horror headline in the process.

'Staggering' report shows 41 Kiwis killed by family

Well this is bad, no doubt about it, but will this report, or the committee which produced actually do anything to address it?

The problem is that "family violence", no matter how it is defined remains a cultural issue and unless it is talked about in cultural terms we will get nowhere - ever!

Instead the cultural aspects will swept under the rug and generalized solutions will be sought, generalized solutions which will impact non-pathological families, grow government and governmental intrusions into everyday life but have no effect whatsoever on the pathological ones where these problems occur.

And if past precedents are any guide there is a distinct possibility that the problem will be actually be exacerbated.

Comments

  1. "Instead the cultural aspects will swept under the rug and generalized solutions will be sought, generalized solutions which will impact non-pathological families, grow government and governmental intrusions into everyday life but have no effect whatsoever on the pathological ones where these problems occur."
    exactly.
    Because we dare not apportion blame or make judgements concerning those responsible.
    Far easier to make cowardly pronouncements which avoid the issue, and instead tar everybody with the same rotten dysfunctional brush.

    ReplyDelete

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