New Zealand: 200,000 children and vulnerable adults abused in care

By Lisa Zengarini

A six-year long independent inquiry has concluded that at least 200,000 children and vulnerable adults in the care of state and faith-based institutions in New Zealand were abused or neglected between 1950 and 2019.  The findings are contained in a report presented earlier this week to New Zealand’s Parliament by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.

The landmark investigation established in 2018 by the New Zealand government, involved interviewing over 2,300 survivors as it examined orphanages, foster care systems, mental health facilities and other forms of care that were charged with supporting 655,000 people.

An unthinkable national catastrophe

In a statement accompanying the release, Coral Shaw, the inquiry’s chair, described the findings as an “unthinkable national catastrophe.”

Abuse included beatings, sexual assault, starvation, electric shocks, chemical restraints, medical experimentation, and sterilization, as well as psychological and emotional abuse.. 

Many of the victims were children, mostly Indigenous Maori, who had been taken away from their families and placed in state and faith-based institutions. They also included vulnerable adults needing care. The inquiry discovered that in the seven decades considered the abuse was pervasive and systemic. It found  that up to 42 percent of individuals in religious care across denominations were victims of abuse.

Pervasive and systemic abuse

According to the Commission the true total number of victims  is likely to be higher than the estimated 200,000 reported. “Precise figures are impossible due to data inadequacies and poor records kept by the State and faith-based institutions, the passage of time, barriers to disclosure, abuse going unreported, and steps commonly taken to conceal abuse,” the report explained.

Some of the victims died under care or committed suicide afterwards. The report highlighted that survivors are facing lifelong consequences of the abuse and neglect they endured.

Survivors denied justice

However, their complaints and calls for justice “were unheard, disbelieved, and ignored.” The inquiry found that even when abuses by government and religious leaders were discovered, they “were rarely held to account for their actions or inactions, which emboldened them to perpetrate further abuse.” Many abusers were simply relocated and continued their misconduct elsewhere.

Demand for public apologies and compensation

The Commission therefore listed 138 recommendations, demanding, amongst other things, public apologies from the heads of the institutions involved. It also urged the government to overhaul the country’s no-fault accident compensation programme to provide tailored support for survivors of abuse.

Commenting the release of the report, the president of the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference (NZCBC), thanked the Inquiry’s Commissioners for their work, and reiterated their commitment “to continue to improve safeguarding in all aspects of Church life.” 

Church’s ongoing commitment to improve safeguarding

In a statement Bishop Steve Lowe recalled that over the past 30 years the Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand has made “significant progress“ in responding to reports of abuse and safeguarding.

“We must continue to work to ensure that progress continues and that our church communities are places where people are safe,“ he said.

The Methodist and Anglican Churches also promised change. “We owe it to survivors,” the Anglican Church said in another statement.

Government’s formal apology and compensation

For his part, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said New Zealand’s government would formally apologize to survivors in November this year, and he committed to implementing a redress process. Total compensation could cost billions of dollars.