Women’s Refuge Statement about Tragic Murders In Dunedin -
Last night’s murder of two children by a violent man who had a protection order against him is a tragic reminder of how
much more we must do as a society to address domestic and family violence in New Zealand says Heather Henare, Chief
Executive of Women’s Refuge.
“We need to concentrate on the fact that there is a link between breaches of protection orders and domestic violence
murders in this country,” she says, “people who threaten to kill should be treated in the most high risk category with
strong consequences.”
“This man had a violent track record, two breaches of a protection order and all breaches of protection orders should
be treated with the full force of our law. This tragic incident is the worst kind of wake up call for this country
around the severity and frequency of domestic and family violence in our communities, says Ms Henare.
ENDS