200,000 Children and Vulnerable Adults Abused in New Zealand, Report Finds
New York TimesJul 19
New Zealand: Inquiry Finds Over 200K Abused in State Care
Above: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon at Government House on June 13, 2024 in Wellington, New Zealand. Image copyright: Hagen Hopkins/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The 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.
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.
The Spin
Narrative A
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
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.