Tough read shines light on violence

I urge readers to look at the Herald coverage. PHOTO/FILE

I ENCOURAGE everyone to read the NZ Herald's week-long series on family violence, which can be viewed on www.nzherald.co.nz.

It is harrowing reading, and much stronger in content than I would normally provide to readers.

The Herald writers have conveyed the brutal, dark nature of family violence to a raw level. It hurts to read it.

In today's issue, we've included some of the Herald material.

Possibly as a consequence of the series (we're on to day five now), women's refuges in Northland and Bay of Plenty are getting more calls than usual.

During the weekend in Tauranga, refuges were full, as they experienced an influx of women and children needing help.

In fact, if this series touched on everyone who needed help and advice regarding family violence, New Zealand's services would be unlikely to cope.

It is reckoned that 80 per cent of family violence goes unreported. This country has the worst rate of family and intimate-partner violence in the world.

The Wairarapa Times-Age has unashamedly piggy-backed on our parent paper's coverage because the work of the reporters in Auckland is outstanding and, more to the point, needs to be read by as many people as possible.

Some of the stories need to be read with caution. The violence is extreme in a couple of cases, including stabbings.

The Herald has even looked close to home in preparing this series, saying support is available for staff who find this series hits too close to home.

The reportage includes the cliche of a "love-hate relationship" and touches on the complexity of domestic violence, including the seemingly bizarre situations when women escape their tormentors only to return, as described in one Herald story.

The Herald has even been thorough enough to provide a computer tool, within the stories, which you can click on to hide the fact that you've looked at these stories. That will prevent anyone else using the same computer from knowing you've been reading family violence stories.

Again, I urge readers to look at the Herald coverage. I won't attempt to analyse it in an editorial. It is up to you to decide whether enough is enough.