Women moving away from violence: Planning it - doing it

The purpose of this collaborative project is to listen to the stories of women who have moved away from violence so that their experiences can inform policy and practice responses in the area of intimate partner violence. Christchurch Women’s Refuge and the Family Help Trust, two Canterbury based NGOs, contracted the University of Canterbury’s Te Awatea Violence Research Centre to undertake the majority of the research. The study was funded by the Lottery Community Sector Research Fund of the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board. The statement of purpose of this study was as follows: To understand the decision-making process for women in addressing violence in their relationships and to develop an empowerment resource that is useful for other women in similar situations. This report constitutes the major resource for the agencies involved and for the wider public on the experiences women moving away from violence. A further publication and a resource booklet are additional outcomes which will be completed in 2013.