Women who return to their violent husbands are often criticized for their decision but there are a whole host of reasons they go back or drop complaints ranging from a lack of self-esteem, belief in the sanctity of marriage vows, financial dependence and especially because of their children if they have any and in most cases, women have nowhere else to go and there’s lack of support services available and inappropriate responses explained Shamima Ali lead trainer of the police training.

Women often did not want to end their relationship, only wanting the violence to stop, Ali said. However, they often found themselves stuck in a cycle of violence that could often end in a violent death or severe disability for the woman if no intervention was made to change the violent man’s attitudes and behaviors – or if she does not leave, continued Ali.
Another major barrier for a woman to report her partner’s violent behavior is to do with the complicated systems, long processes, inadequate laws and regressive attitudes of police officers and other people involved in the criminal justice system.

Participants include Police from Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Australia.
The workshop began on Monday and will end on Friday, 24 November.