In a shocking revelation, a public inquiry in New Zealand has established that around 200,000 children, young individuals and susceptible adults suffered abuse under state and religious care over a span of seven decades. Subsequently, the country’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, expressed regret for the abuses and pledged changes on Wednesday. The damning report indicates the government may potentially face a substantial financial burden, projecting into billions, from compensation claims yet to come.
The investigation revealed disturbing facts that abuse was endured by almost one third of individuals in care, ranging from children to vulnerable adults, from the period 1950 to 2019. Addressing a press briefing, Mr Luxon acknowledged the gravely sombre day for New Zealand, underscoring the nation’s failure and his resolve to make amends. An official apology was subsequently put forth on November 12th.
As the report was being considered in the nation’s legislative house, survivors and advocates occupied the public viewing area, while others observed from another room. Following Mr Luxon’s address, where he compared the maltreatment to torture particularly at a state care institution named Lake Alice, attendees rose in unity to sing a traditional Maori song of love and unity.
The royal commission’s investigative report incorporated inputs from over 2,300 survivors, in a country with a population currently standing at 5.3 million. It brought forth a series of horrific accounts relating to physical and mental abuse, including sterilisation and electric shocks, predominantly seen in the 1970s, within state and faith-related care.
The study indicated a heightened vulnerability amongst the indigenous Maori demographic and those harbouring mental or physical impairments. The report underscored cover-up efforts by representative civil and faith bodies who denied responsibility and relocated the perpetrators instead, with many victims passing away without experiencing justice. The collective abuse and negligence meted out over years towards hundreds of thousands under state and faith-related care were termed a “national disgrace” by the report.
According to the text, 138 recommendations were proposed, which included soliciting formal apologies from the New Zealand government, the Pope, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, who are the leaders of the Catholic and Anglican churches correspondingly. These figures had previously denounced child abuse. The Catholic Church in New Zealand released a statement stating they were critically examining the report and committed to taking action based on the findings of the inquiry. They have already confirmed that such abuses took place. The Vatican’s press team was yet to comment at the time.
The Anglican Church in New Zealand publicly accepted full accountability for their negligence in providing a safe and nurturing environment for those under their care and expressed regret. The Methodist Church of New Zealand, while underscoring the gravity of the injustices uncovered the inquiry, appreciated survivors for their bravery in sharing their experiences and promised to adopt the recommendations of the report.
The Presbyterian Church of New Zealand committed to providing a response once they have perused the report. According to the report, the calculated average lifetime cost for an abuse survivor was approximately NZ$857,000 (\about €470,000) per person in 2020. However, no clarification was made on the available compensation for abuse survivors.
Mr Luxon posited that the total compensation for survivors could potentially total billions of dollars. He stated, “We’re engaging in redress discussions and progressing in this regard with survivor groups.” The report also recommended financial aid be extended to families, who have been looked after by survivors of abuse owing to the multigenerational trauma experienced, and proposed a review of compensation disbursed in earlier child abuse instances, particularly concerning the Lake Alice adolescent unit case.
Tracey McIntosh, a sociologist at the University of Auckland, emphasised the significance of recognising and acknowledging survivors for the truth and reality of their lives. In addition, the report suggested that the government establish a care safety agency to ensure the safe conduct of the industry. It further suggested new laws mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, even those confessed during religious confession. – Reuters
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024