The Helen Clark Foundation is proud to announce our latest project: with generous support from the Clare Foundation, we are undertaking a major research and advocacy programme exploring how New Zealand should better address sexual violence against women. While New Zealanders often think of our country as among the safest places in the world to be a woman, there are increasingly significant weaknesses in our policies and laws – weaknesses that increase the risk of sexual violence against women and present major barriers to victims as they engage with the justice system. This project will explore four key areas in which New Zealand’s legal and policy frameworks are failing victims of sexual violence, propose workable improvements and work with MPs from across the political spectrum, as well as policymakers and civil society to get real change made. The project will focus on:
- under-reporting of sexual violence;
- inadequate definitions of consent in legislation;
- emergence of deep-fake AI pornography; and
- practice of virginity testing.
This work will be taken forward by a highly experienced team of legal researchers led by Sarah Bell, and including Dr Emily Henderson, Dr Anna High and former Helen Clark Foundation intern Sophia Harré. Underpinning this work is a strong belief that effectively addressing sexual violence against women in New Zealand is a non-partisan issue. Reflecting this, the project will draw on the experience and perspectives of former senior MPs from across a range of political parties to help determine the most effective ways of addressing these key issues and to advocate for policy and legislative change in the near future.
The project team will also consult with a broad range of legal experts, community advocates and decision makers and will draw from approaches adopted in comparable jurisdictions in developing legislative, policy and practice options to address these issues in New Zealand.
The Helen Clark Foundation is very grateful to the Clare Foundation for its generous support of this important work.
Sarah Bell
Dr. Anna High
Dr. Emily Henderson
Sophia Harre
