The objective of this report is to inform debate on domestic violence from an institutional theoretical perspective and recommend ideas to uproot the cycle of violence against women. The policy report employs a gender lens and argues that stronger government institutional arrangement is imperative to assist women – the most common victims of domestic violence. The report critically scrutinizes the current institutional arrangement of key government agencies tasked to address domestic violence. A comparative institutional analysis is conducted to evidence the fragmentation and consequently replication and repetition of the work conducted by key government actors – ‘Family and Community Services’ (FACS) and ‘Taskforce for Action on Violence within Families’ in the Ministry of Social Development (MSD); the ‘Families Commission’; and the ‘Ministry of Women’s Affairs’. It is also noted that the aforementioned actors have as their focus ‘family violence’ which constitutes child abuse, parental abuse, sibling abuse, and elder abuse as opposed to women who are the predominant victims of domestic violence. The report recommends that the Minister of Women’s Affairs lead her Ministry to take on a proactive institutional coordination and policy implementation role on domestic violence. Effective and coordinated institutional framework is imperative to progressively eliminate domestic violence and to ensure the security, dignity, and well-being of all women in New Zealand.
