Recent refuge statistics indicate that the demand for refuge services for children will continue to increase over the next four to five years, requiringmore child advocates and more money to help fund the critical work they do to reduce the trauma of children's experiences and break the cycle of violence.
Hastings Women's Refuge manager Julie Hart said that, unfortunately, it was constantly busy. "We don't believe the domestic violence rate is increasing but there is evidence that people asking for help has. It is great that people feel free to come to us for help.
"Now we've also got employers, family, friends, neighbours and work colleagues calling on behalf of someone else," Ms Hart said.
While Women's Refuge has government contracts with Ministry of Justice and Child Youth and Family to provide children's programmes, the organisation is largely unfunded for the one-on-one specialised work they do with children which is mostly absorbed in to other streams of income or shouldered by the refuges themselves.
"Trained child advocates and child-focused services are critical to addressing family violence. Lack of funding for these services for children means that many refuges are unable to retain trained and skilled child advocates, or that the child advocate role is amalgamated into another existing role. Essentially our refuges have to choose between being able to offer appropriate services for tamariki and paying the power bill," Dr Jury said.
She said they needed the help of the New Zealand public to donate to the annual appeal in order to do their work.
"The kids we work with tell us that they just want to be listened to, have their opinions, thoughts and ideas taken seriously, and be told what is going on. We need to be listening to, and supporting, children who experience family violence in the ways that they need."
The 2017 annual appeal will run for four weeks and donations can be made via the website www.womensrefuge.org.nz, or by looking out for Women's Refuge Street collectors.