Talk Description
Join this keynote session to hear from Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading independent children’s rights advocate about what it is that children and young people who have survived family and/or sexual violence say needs to change to support their healing and recovery from trauma, and how this is having an influence on system-change.
From May to July 2024, Mana Mokopuna, Aotearoa New Zealand’s independent children’s rights institution, led by the New Zealand Children’s Commissioner, led a first-of-its kind project in the world: hearing directly from children and young people who are victim-survivors of family and/or sexual violence, about their experiences of healing. Alongside a central focus on the lived experiences of children and young people, the Mana Mokopuna team engaged with family members of children and young people who have endured family and/or sexual violence, and practitioners working alongside children and young people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
The overall goal of this project was to understand ‘what good looks like’ when engaging with services and supports aimed at helping children and young people to heal from family violence and/or sexual violence. Through these engagements, we heard powerful stories of bravery, hurt, resilience and persistence. Children and young people with diverse perspectives shared their preferences for support, which now provide a blueprint for child and youth-centred family and sexual violence response and prevention work. They shared their views about what needs to change, providing holistic, innovative ideas for how we can and must collectively better care for those seeking help.
In October 2024, the project culminated in the publication of a children and young people’s voices report, entitled “A place to talk peacefully”: what helps and what gets in the way - Mokopuna voices on healing from family and sexual violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. The report has had a direct influence on systemic work under New Zealand’s national 25 year strategy and action plan to eliminate family and sexual violence. In this keynote session, we will share the voices, stories and experiences of the children and young people we engaged with. Key themes and findings will be introduced along with our call to action, based on what we have heard from children, young people and the villages around them. We will share with you some insights into our methodology for ensuring we conducted this work ethically, safely and authentically. Deep consideration and care with the support of an external ethics committee of experts has allowed us to genuinely hear and amplify the views shared with us.
From May to July 2024, Mana Mokopuna, Aotearoa New Zealand’s independent children’s rights institution, led by the New Zealand Children’s Commissioner, led a first-of-its kind project in the world: hearing directly from children and young people who are victim-survivors of family and/or sexual violence, about their experiences of healing. Alongside a central focus on the lived experiences of children and young people, the Mana Mokopuna team engaged with family members of children and young people who have endured family and/or sexual violence, and practitioners working alongside children and young people throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
The overall goal of this project was to understand ‘what good looks like’ when engaging with services and supports aimed at helping children and young people to heal from family violence and/or sexual violence. Through these engagements, we heard powerful stories of bravery, hurt, resilience and persistence. Children and young people with diverse perspectives shared their preferences for support, which now provide a blueprint for child and youth-centred family and sexual violence response and prevention work. They shared their views about what needs to change, providing holistic, innovative ideas for how we can and must collectively better care for those seeking help.
In October 2024, the project culminated in the publication of a children and young people’s voices report, entitled “A place to talk peacefully”: what helps and what gets in the way - Mokopuna voices on healing from family and sexual violence in Aotearoa New Zealand. The report has had a direct influence on systemic work under New Zealand’s national 25 year strategy and action plan to eliminate family and sexual violence. In this keynote session, we will share the voices, stories and experiences of the children and young people we engaged with. Key themes and findings will be introduced along with our call to action, based on what we have heard from children, young people and the villages around them. We will share with you some insights into our methodology for ensuring we conducted this work ethically, safely and authentically. Deep consideration and care with the support of an external ethics committee of experts has allowed us to genuinely hear and amplify the views shared with us.