New Zealand: Inquiry Finds Over 200K Abused in State Care

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Facts

• According to a public inquiry published Wednesday, around 200K children and vulnerable adults suffered some form of abuse while in state and religious care in New Zealand over the last 70 years.¹
• The Royal Commission found that nearly a third of 650K children and vulnerable adults in state, foster, and church care between 1950 and 2019 experienced physical, sexual, verbal, or psychological abuse, while others were exploited or neglected.²
• In its report, the Commission — which interviewed over 2.3K survivors of abuse — said that sexual abuse was 'commonplace,' while physical abuse was 'prevalent across all settings.'³
• In addition, people from disadvantaged or marginalized communities, including Māori and Pacific people or people with disabilities, were particularly vulnerable to exploitation.⁴
• The Commission said the scale of the abuse was 'unimaginable,' adding that that the culprits rarely faced the consequences for their actions, which they covered up by transferring the abusers.⁵
• Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the inquiry's findings — which cost the government about NZ$170M ($101M) — marked a 'dark and sorrowful day' in the country's history. An official apology will follow on Nov. 12.⁶

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²FOX News, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴CNN, ⁵ABCNews and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by The Beehive. Though the government faces billions of dollars in fresh compensation claims, it recognizes and acknowledges the abuse survivors underwent and is committed to addressing the report's recommendations. While previous governments had resisted holding such an inquiry, the Luxon government will do anything it can to address this decades-long injustice and ensure it isn't repeated.
• Narrative B, as provided by Guardian. Luxon's apology isn't enough. The Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and heads of the Catholic and Anglican churches must also take full responsibility for their failures to safeguard the inmates year after year. It's a national disgrace that state and faith-based institutions abused and tortured hundreds of thousands of people for decades with impunity while New Zealand promoted itself, internationally and domestically, as a safe, fair country.