Children and Family Violence: The Unnoticed Victims

Gabrielle M. Maxwell

Current concerns about family violence focus on the women victims and the men who are usually the assailants. But children are also part of families where violence is happening. Their lives are affected, yet we know surprisingly little about their involvement. Data recorded by the Hamilton Abuse Intervention Pilot Project (HAIPP) offered an opportunity to analyse the involvement of children in incidents of family violence in New Zealand.

This paper presents the results of this analysis, discusses the possible longer term effects and suggests options for us as a society to protect the children more effectively. A significant finding was that children were present in the house while the violence was occurring in 87% of the incidents in which their parent was the victim. As well as the evidence that shows children who witness violence demonstrate a range of adjustment problems, it appears that much violence directed at children goes unrecorded.

The paper concludes that it is time to ensure that New Zealand takes the same steps and makes the same provisions to ensure the safety of children in homes where there is family violence as it has put in place to protect women.