ACC to spend $44.9 million on sexual violence prevention

ACC is spending nearly 45 million dollars on a bid to prevent sexual violence, including $11.7 million for kaupapa Māori approaches.

Over the next four years it aimed to tackle the underlying causes of sexual violence and to do work on changing attitudes and behaviours.

The agency would work on the problem alongside other government agencies, specialist services, providers, iwi and communities.

ACC minister Carmel Sepuloni said Aotearoa-New Zealand had unacceptable rates of sexual violence.

Almost a quarter of adults had experienced sexual violence, one of the highest rates for countries in the OECD.

And minister Sepuloni said about 16 percent of people are affected by sexual violence before they turn 18 years old.

These high rates cannot continue, we need to put in place systems that protect our whānau and our future generations.