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Ann Simmons, who is advocating for a law change to provide domestic violence leave. New Zealand Herald photo Nicholas Jones.
MPs on the justice and electoral committee thanked Ann Simmons for her bravery after listening in silence to her story.
The committee is working through dozens of submissions on legislation that would allow victims of abuse to get up to 10 extra days’ leave a year and would classify family violence as a workplace hazard.
Simmons, family violence prevention coordinator at Capital & Coast DHB and a registered midwife, appeared on behalf of the NZ Nurses Organisation, a union representing 48,000 nurses and strongly supportive of the change.