The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has partnered with Pasifika organisation Le Va to help reduce family violence, sexual violence, and suicidal behaviour among Pasifika young people in New Zealand.
On July 04, Le Va launched a programme called Atu-Mai. It’s New Zealand’s first national violence prevention programme for Pasifika young people and focuses on addressing high rates of violence, low access to existing health and social services, and low reporting behaviour.
“Pasifika youth are three times more likely to be exposed to family violence,” ACC acting chief customer officer Emma Powell said. “They have higher rates of assault claims lodged with ACC.
“And their injuries from assault tend to be worse, and come at a higher financial and social cost,” she said.
Pasifika people constitute 7.75% of the New Zealand population, but make-up 12% of all ACC assault-related claims. Assaults make up 2% of all home and community-related claims. Of all home and community-related claims, 3% are lodged by Pasifika people.
Assault claims for Pasifika people also cost more on average. Active claims for home-related assaults in 2015/16 cost $15.7 million, and averaged $1,757 per claim. But for Pasifika clients, this was $4.27 million, averaging $2,425 per claims.
Powell said ACC research suggests three-quarters of all violence is not reported to police and only 5% of sensitive claims come from Pasifika communities. Le Va’s research, meanwhile, found under-reporting the cause, rather than an indicator of sexual violence in the community.
“Low reporting in our Pasifika communities limits our understanding of harm and can mask the extent of the problem,” she noted. “We know there are strong cultural traditions that must be considered with care. We trust Le Va’s expertise, knowledge, and ability to communicate in a way that works best for our Pasifika communities.”
ACC said it will be investing $5.9 million over the next five years to support Le Va.
