Women’s Refuge supports Law Commission recommendations to Self Defence Laws and FV

Responding to the release today from Justice Minister Amy Adams Women’s Refuge Chief Executive Dr Ang Jury said, “while I have yet to read a full copy of the report, the recommendations I have seen reported in the media today seem to be heading in the right direction.

“When women find themselves in a situation where retaliation is necessary, the ‘act’ that may have led to that reaction could seem insignificant to anyone outside the specific situation,” she explains. “But domestic violence can be likened to a kind of domestic terrorism lasting for years and a woman who has been controlled and violated over a long period of time will sometimes react in a way very different from that of someone not experiencing the same sort of routine violence and cruelty.”

Having these circumstances better understood by Judges, Lawyers, Police and the wider public could, if combined with these types of legislative reforms, go a long way to helping prevent future injustices," she says. “Along with all of those within this sector I welcome any dialogue with the Minister, the Law Commission and Ministry of Justice on making improvements to criminal law in regards to victims of family violence.”

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