Aguilera urges Kiwis to end the violence

Pop singer Christina Aguilera will use her upcoming New Zealand concert to spread the anti-domestic violence message.

A victim of family violence herself, Aguilera has recorded a message about the problem and plays it before each concert.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Star-Times, she tells of her desire to raise awareness about the issue. Her song Oh Mother, is about the abuse her mother suffered at the hands of her father.

At her Auckland concert in July she will sing the song against a backdrop of a man punching a woman.

Aguilera told the Star-Times family violence was generally a "hush-hush" subject. She hoped speaking out against it would dispel this attitude and help her cope with her past.

Organisations against family violence applauded Aguilera. Women's Refuge national manager Heather Henare said it was great for a woman of "such strong presence, particularly in young women's lives", to discuss the issue openly. "Christine Aguilera has been very courageous in talking about the violence she has experienced herself. This is the first step to challenge the all too frequent violence in the home and we welcome her ongoing support."

The National Network of Stopping Violence project manager Garth Baker said domestic violence cut across all sectors of society.

People such as Aguilera were making it more acceptable to talk about the issue. New Zealanders were increasingly aware and concerned about family violence, he said.

"It's great she's speaking out publicly in NZ where we've a deplorably high rate of violence."

The first few months of this year had a record number of domestic violence murders -seven women and a girl were killed between Christmas and February.