New Zealand inquiry reveals 200,000 children and vulnerable adults abused in care
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A public inquiryfound that in the last 70 years, about 200,000 children, young people, and vulnerable adults weresubjected to abuse in state and religious care in New Zealand. Following the findings, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon apologised and promised reforms on Wednesday (Jul 24).
According to the report, nearly one in three children and vulnerable adults faced some form of abuse between 1950 and 2019. These findings can land the government in a spot with billions of dollars of compensation claims.
"This is a dark and sorrowful day in New Zealand's history as a society and as a state, we should have done better, and I am determined that we will do so," Luxon told a press conference. He also stated that an official apology would follow on Nov 12.
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The survivors and the people supporting them gathered in the public gallery of the country's parliamentwhere the report was debated. Some more watched the session from a different room.
The report by Royal Commission of Inquiry spoke to over 2,300 survivors of abuse in the country. The report described a series of abuses in state and faith-based care which spiked in the 1970s. This included various forms of abuse including electric shocks, rape, and sterilisation.
The Indigenous Maori community was among the most vulnerable along with the mentally or physically disabled, according to the report.
Civil and faith leaders battled to conceal the abuse by relocating perpetrators to a new place and denying their involvement. The report stated many victims of abuse passed away before getting justice.
"It is a national disgrace that hundreds of thousands of children, young people and adults were abused and neglected in the care of the State and faith-based institutions," the report said.
The Catholic Church in New Zealand released a statement saying that it was carefully reviewing the report.
"We will ensure that action follows our review of the inquiry’s findings," the statement said.
The Anglican Church in New Zealand said in a statement, "We acknowledge and take full responsibility for our failures to provide the safe, caring and nurturing environment those who have been in our care had a right to expect and to receive".
The report has estimated the compensation to survivors per person to be approximately $511,200.50 (NZ$857,000). Luxon stated the compensation due to survivors could go up to billions of dollars.
"We're opening up the redress conversations and we're going through that work with survivor groups," he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
