Vine Quick Reads: 2 May 2025

Vine Quick Reads: 2 May 2025

Welcome to our Quick Reads format. Each week we share selected news bites relevant to family violence and sexual violence in Aotearoa.

New article on legal challenges in tackling AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM)

Childlight: Global Child Safety Institute have published new open access research: Legal challenges in tackling AI-generated CSAM across the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: Who is accountable according to the law? (2025). The research was published as part of Searchlight 2025: Who benefits? Shining a light on the business of child sexual exploitation and abuse, which identifies the strengths and weaknesses of different regulatory contexts to address AI-generated CSAM. This research emerges as AI images of child sexual abuse are becoming ‘significantly more realistic’ and prolific, according to the UK-based Internet Watch Foundation. Te Tari Taiwhenua | Department of Internal Affairs also identified it as an emerging harm in 2024 Transparency Report: Digital Child Exploitation.

Te Puna Aonui partnering with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Manawa Tītī on three violence-related initiatives

Te Puna Aonui have provided details of their partnership with Ngāti Whatua Ōrākei and Manawa Tītī in their recent pānui. Ngāti Whatua Ōrākei, Manawa Tītī and Te Puna Aonui are set to deliver specialist outreach support for high-risk family violence, test a prototype for a nationally consistent risk process, and deliver a local system improvement plan. For more, see RNZ’s coverage of the announcement and Minister Karen Chhour’s media release.

National Pacific Disability Approach released

Whaikaha | Ministry of Disabled People have released the National Pacific Approach – Atoatoali’o (2025). Alternate formats are available. Atoatoali’o was developed with Pacific communities and the wider Pacific disability sector through a series of community talanoa held throughout Aotearoa. Atoatoali’o sets a series of priorities, each with their own objectives and related action points, which will feed into the refresh of the New Zealand Disability Strategy. These priorities include increasing awareness, strengthening leadership and workforces, ensuring access and equity, increasing visibility in cross-government data, and promoting a holistic family-centred approach to enabling good lives.

New review from Australia on indigenous women’s engagement with Family Court in the context of family violence

A new review has been published by the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW): First Nations women’s engagement with the family law system in the context of family violence: the evidence base (2025). The review explored how, when, and why First Nations women in Australia who have experienced family violence engage with the family law system, and any barriers to their engagement. For a summary, see the review’s authors discussion of their findings in The Conversation.