New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed deep regret on Wednesday after a public inquiry revealed that approximately 200,000 children, young people, and vulnerable adults suffered abuse in state and religious care over the past 70 years.
According to the report, nearly one in three children and vulnerable adults in care between 1950 and 2019 experienced some form of abuse. This revelation may result in the government facing billions of dollars in new compensation claims.
Prime Minister Luxon stated, “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.” He announced that an official apology would be issued on November 12.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry interviewed over 2,300 survivors of abuse from New Zealand’s population of 5.3 million. The report documented extensive abuses in state and faith-based care, including rape, sterilization, and electric shocks, particularly rampant during the 1970s. The Indigenous Maori community and those with mental or physical disabilities were especially vulnerable.
The report highlighted that civil and faith leaders often attempted to cover up the abuse by relocating abusers and denying responsibility, leading many victims to die without seeing 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 stated.
The inquiry made 138 recommendations, including public apologies from New Zealand’s government, the Pope, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, heads of the Catholic and Anglican churches, respectively, who have previously condemned child abuse. It also proposed the establishment of a Care Safe Agency to oversee the industry and new legislation mandating the reporting of suspected abuse, even admissions made during religious confession.
The report estimated the average lifetime cost to an abuse survivor in New Zealand to be approximately NZ$857,000 ($511,200.50) per person. However, it did not specify the compensation available for survivors. Luxon mentioned that total compensation could run into billions of dollars. “We’re opening up the redress conversations and going through that work with survivor groups,” he said.
Additionally, the inquiry recommended payments to families affected by intergenerational trauma due to abuse and a review of compensation in previous child abuse cases, including those at the state-run Lake Alice adolescent unit. Tracey McIntosh, a sociologist at the University of Auckland, emphasized, “The most important element is to recognize and acknowledge the survivors for the reality and the truth of their lives.”
For more updates, join our WhatsApp channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VabITrvEAKW7DSkTfP0