Govt must show will to fight terror of domestic violence

Elite forces could be used against those who terrorise at home and abroad. PHOTO/FILE

I was in a bar listening to a highly-regarded colleague talk about the troubles at home and abroad.

He said, in a somewhat bitter tone, that for all the efforts made internationally by New Zealand we have missed the potential for tackling serious problems in our own country.

He felt that getting the SAS to sort out the gangs would be a great use of their training and skills and soon put an end to the terror that gangs inflict on communities all around the country.

The thought of heavily-armed Special Forces used to working in war zones, breaking down doors and rounding up gang members as they would terrorists and warlords in a foreign country cheered us both immensely while prompting more serious reflection on how the notion of terrorism is shaped by perspective. We agreed that while the brute force of the SAS might sweep the gangs from the landscape, it would lack the valued aspect of justice which is the foundation of our democracy.

But I could see the point my colleague was making as he explained that in the region where he lives and works, many families are terrorised by local gangs and live in constant fear of violence and intimidation, afraid to speak out or act as this would be far too dangerous.

That sounded exactly like a description of how terrorist groups operate. This led me to think about the current government moves to enhance surveillance laws and extend the powers of NZ spy agencies to thwart the influence and threat of international terror organisations like Islamic State. There are moves to withhold passports from those who might go to Syria or Iraq to support IS along with calls to increase government powers to gather information, sidelining aspects of civic freedoms to identify potential terror threats.

The same argument could be made for that other force of terror that exists in our communities that goes by the name of domestic violence. The tactics and dynamics of family violence are very similar to that of international terrorist groups: the use of violence and threats to create fear, enforce control and change the behaviour of victims and those around them by making them feel helpless.

It seems we are able to mobilise all manner of resources to tackle terrorism that comes from "other" sources but lack the same political will to tackle the "terrorists" in our own country.

What we see, is that the NZ Government can respond quickly, mobilise resources, formulate new legislation and dedicate huge sums to tackle the perceived threat of terrorism with vague notions about what will be achieved but in complete contrast surrender, waving the budget flag when it comes to the terror inflicted on families by the men who use violence, often with lethal effect, against women and children.

Where is the urgency to prevent future deaths and damaged lives from domestic violence? It is clearly available to resist the threat of groups such as IS. Where is the similar application of the resources dedicated to surveillance and tracking the activities of potential terror threats but focused on those men who have known repeat histories of violence to women and children? Why the reluctance to tackle domestic violence when the Government is clearly quite capable of getting all gung-ho about identifying potential recruits to international terrorist groups?

Terrorist groups and the men using violence to terrorise their families have much in common. We should be able to muster the same courage to tackle the one as we do for the other.

Terry Sarten is a writer, social worker and musician - feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz