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New Zealand enacted a law granting victims of domestic violence 10 days of paid leave to enable them to leave their partners, find new homes and protect themselves and their children.
57. This is the result of seven years of work by Green MP Jan Logie, who worked in a women's shelter before becoming a politician.
Despite opposition from national MPs who initially supported Logie's bill, the entire party withdrew support for the final reading, saying that the cost for small and medium-sized businesses would be too high , and could deter employers from hiring people who they suspected of being victims of domestic violence.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates in the developed world, with police responding to a domestic violence incident every four minutes. Domestic violence would cost the country between $ 4.1 billion and $ 7 billion a year.
Logie, who was torn apart when his bill was passed, said the new legislation was the first step in the fight against endemic and horror.
"Part of this initiative is to get a response from across society – we do not just leave it to the police, but we realize that we all have a role to play in helping victims. It is also about changing the cultural norms and saying "we all have an interest in this and it is not OK," said Logie.
The new legislation will come into effect in April of next year and stipulates that any person who is a victim of domestic violence will be entitled to 10 days of paid leave, which will be added to standard leave and sick leave.
Victims of domestic violence are not required to provide evidence of their situation and will also be entitled to accelerated flexible working conditions, such as instead of work, changing their e-mail address and deleting their contact details. business website.
"Domestic violence does not respect this division between work and life.A tremendous amount of research tells us that a large number of abusive partners bring violence into the workplace," Logie said. "Whether it's tracking down their partner, e-mails or constant phone calls or threatening them or their co-workers, and part of that is trying to break their attachment to their work to get them fired or resigned in order to that they are more dependent on their partner.It is very common. "
In Canada, laws providing for paid holidays already exist in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. [19659002FamilyviolencegroupsinNewZealandwelcomedthenewlawsayingthatitwasthebeginningofpeople</P><p>Realizingthattacklingtheproblemwaspartofabroaderchangetoimprovethewell-beingofemployees
Dr. Ang Jury, CEO of Women's Refuge, said that the bill was not a quick fix – the nature but it was "a significant step in the good di She said, "We know that women's economic situation is critical to their choices that determine what they can and can not do. If she can keep her job and keep her employer's trust while dealing with domestic issues, then that's good news. "
Holly Carrington, spokeswoman for Shine, a charity that helps victims of spousal abuse, said: It sets a strong benchmark for what businesses are legally required to do and we need to be clear that employers can do this from a personal interest perspective, because by helping these employees they will retain valuable employees and improve productivity. "[19659002] The Labor coalition government has allocated an additional $ 80 million to New Zealand groups family violence in the May budget – the first step in funding front-line services in a decade. But Carrington said the problem was "damning" and needed more resources and a royal commission to investigate family courts, a request supported this week by the Rights Committee. of the United Nations woman.
"Obviously, we are happy and delighted [about the bill] but in the scheme of things, the struggle continues," Carrington said. "Our front-line staff are overwhelmed daily, and we have dangerous and high-risk cases every day that the system can not protect them from." We did not take the time to party. that we should have it, because it's a huge victory. "
In March, the Australian government announced that it would introduce legislation allowing workers to five days of unpaid leave. to deal with a domestic violence situation. • ] This article was last modified on July 26, 2018. An earlier version indicated that New Zealand had achieved a world first by introducing paid holidays for victims of domestic violence.
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