Family violence researcher shares knowledge with Atu-Mai team

Le Va’s Atu-Mai team was fortunate to have a professional development session with violence prevention expert Prof. Janet Fanslow this month.

Prof. Fanslow is a Professor at the School of Population Health, University of Auckland, and her research focuses on the prevention, prevalence and consequences of family violence in Aotearoa New Zealand.

She said she had heard positive things about Le Va and its community mobilisation focused Atu-Mai programme that is part of a much wider system of change for violence prevention work.

Taituuga Mirofora Mataafa-Komiti, primary prevention manager for Atu-Mai, found Janet’s presentation insightful.

“I appreciated the different frameworks Prof. Fanslow presented, as well as the global initiatives she highlighted, which broadened my perspective on violence prevention,” she said.

“I especially liked how she challenged us to ask critical questions, offering an opportunity for individuals to reflect on their own experiences and the wider impact of violence.”

Prof. Janet Fanslow

Prof. Fanslow considers a range of risk and protective factors in her research, including economic, physical and emotional abuse that can be contributing factors to violence.

She travels the globe representing Aotearoa at international conferences, and led the 2003 and 2019 New Zealand Violence Against Women Surveys.

Her work has also received funding from the Health Research Council of New Zealand.

Learn more about Le Va’s violence prevention work.