Domestic violence

Ms Pinot accused her partner and judo trainer Alain Schmitt of punching and attempting to strangle her during an altercation over the weekend.

The Olympic gold medallist, 27, filed a complaint against Mr Schmitt.

He was arrested but denied the allegations and was acquitted in court.

A judge said there was not "enough proof of guilt" for the prosecution to proceed when delivering his verdict in a preliminary hearing on Wednesday.

"A court is never there to tell who is telling the truth and who is lying," the judge said.

The Cook Islands Women's Counselling Centre - Punanga Tauturu, are now helping more men than women and there's growing concern tane aren't getting help at the early stages and are instead going straight to court.

Punanga Tauturu has been working to eliminate violence against women for over 20 years.

The group's Co-ordinator Rebeka Buchanan said the lack of early abuse prevention to help Cook Island families break out of cycles of abuse was an issue.

The matter allegedly occurred on Monday, at the residence of the accused in Vaini.

Police said they arrested the accused.

The child involved has been placed in a safe place.

Police said they are committed to reducing the harm of family and domestic violence. Police therefore recognize that first they must set a high standard for responding and investigating family and domestic violence by ensuring systems, resources and people are continuously developed to effectively meet the drivers of family and domestic violence.

Acting Police Commissioner Tevita Vailea told a local Press Club event that between January and June this year there were 537 domestic violence cases reported, with 117 Police Safety Orders issued, although there were only 99 prosecutions.

Vailea could not put a number on the cases that may have been unreported, but it has often been said the majority of incidents fit that category.

The acting Commissioner said there needed to be co-operative efforts involving the community and the police to break the cycle of domestic violence.

The Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu campaign was launched this month by The Cause Collective, a Pacific social change agency.

The Cause Collective have spent the past three years working with family violence practitioners, Pacific providers and community leaders, including police, social workers and church ministers and training using specific cultural frameworks in eight different Pacific languages through the Nga Vaka o Kāiga Tapu programme.

A family advocate in Tonga said the national lockdown and closing of borders had added stress to many households.

Tonga is under a State of Emergency as the government attempted to keep the country Covid-19 free.

Tonga's Women & Children Crisis Centre Director, 'Ofa Guttenbeil Likiliki, said being in confinement could mean those already in violent relationships, could have their situation exacerbated.

She said the community would start to feel the economic crunch of the pandemic measures.

The actress was 15 when her alcoholic dad shot through the door of the room where she was hiding with her mum.

"None of those bullets ever hit us, which is just a miracle. But in self-defence, she ended the threat," she told NPR.

She added: "The more we talk about these things, the more we realise we are not alone in any of it."

Charlize grew up on on a farm near Johannesburg in South Africa with her mum Gerda and dad Charles.

She described her dad as a "very sick man" and said living with an alcoholic was a "pretty hopeless situation".

The singer was the subject of an advert on the platform which asked users if they would "rather slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown".

The ad, which was for a game, appeared to reference Chris Brown's conviction for assaulting Rihanna in 2009 while they were dating.

Snap Inc says the ad "never should have appeared on our service".

Rihanna posted a lengthy comment on an Instagram Story saying she was "trying to figure out what the point was with this mess".

"I'd love to call it ignorance, but I know you ain't that dumb," she wrote.

The helpline trial, which is funded by UN Women, will be launched on the 5th of December and will run until February.

Crisis centre director Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki said if successful funding is available to support the service for three years from March 2018.

She said the initiative is in line with the theme of the 16 Day campaign this year which is "leave no one behind."

The 30-year-old, who played Santana in the TV show, was arrested at a house in Kanawha County, West Virginia, America.

According to the criminal complaint, police were called for a domestic situation.

Officers say they talked with Ryan Dorsey who told them his wife, Naya, had hit him in the head and face.

Ryan, 34, showed officers mobile phone footage that supported what he says happened.

They also say he had minor injuries.