Reducing violence and abuse Violence and abuse is never acceptable. We will work to better understand and raise awareness of violence and abuse of particular population groups in Aotearoa New Zealand with particular emphasis on those groups that are not well served by current interventions. This understanding will help identify ways to help reduce this problem, in particular, the physical and emotional violence and abuse towards people in their communities, families and residential and care services. Rationale All people in Aotearoa New Zealand have the right to be free from violence and abuse. Aotearoa New Zealand has some of the highest rates of reported domestic violence and family violence in the world. People living in fear for their personal safety or that of their loved ones are unlikely to participate fully in their community and society. During our external stakeholder engagement, 44 percent of respondents listed the right to be free from violence (including family and sexual violence and violent hate crimes) as one of their top three issues. Interventions The Human Rights Commission will: » gather and present evidence about the prevalence of violence and abuse for people in Aotearoa New Zealand not being well served by existing government data collection, for example, disabled people, older people, the rainbow community, migrants and multicultural communities » advocate for better/more robust data on experiences of violence and abuse » contribute to policy making that: » prevents and/or reduces the frequency and seriousness of violence and abuse » improves the quality and effectiveness of responses to violence and abuse » restores dignity for those affected by violence and abuse 18 HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION