More than 220 children who were removed from their families to keep them safe went on to be harmed in state care over a six-month period. As of June last year, there were 6350 children and young people in state care in New Zealand. Between July and September, 130 of them were found to have Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Child Abuse’
Scope of Royal Commission clarified
Thursday, March 7th, 2019
Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions has confirmed that its investigation will include those abused by any person in a pastoral role in a faith-based institution. The clarification came in a “plain English” version of the terms of reference for the royal commission posted Read more
Expert sees cyberspace full of risk, from addictions to child abuse
Thursday, December 6th, 2018
A leading expert in cyberpsychology describes a digital culture today in which children and pre-teens have virtually unfiltered access to online pornography, and she predicts that one day parents who fail to monitor their children’s online activity may be found guilty of criminal child abuse. “I can see later down the line that parents or Read more
New body to facilitate Church’s response to Royal commission
Monday, November 5th, 2018
Catherine Fyfe will chair a group of people who will ensure that the Catholic Church provides a co-ordinated and co-operative response to the Historical Abuse in State Care Royal Commission. Fyfe is a layperson with extensive experience in human resource management and organisational development. The New Zealand Catholic bishops and the heads of all religious Read more
Royal Commission into state care abuse stalled, says lawyer
Thursday, October 25th, 2018
A lawyer working for New Zealand victims of abuse in state care says Australia’s apology to their victims of child sexual abuse should embarrass New Zealand into getting on with its own Royal Commision. Sonja Cooper, who represents some of those abused while in state care in New Zealand, said she’s disappointed about the slow Read more
Cabinet yet to hear abuse inquiry proposal
Monday, September 10th, 2018Slow progress in establishing the ground rules for New Zealand’s biggest ever inquiry is causing further pain for state care abuse survivors. New information also shows a formal proposal on the inquiry is yet to reach Cabinet – which must approve the final inquiry scope before anyone can be heard. Continue reading
Children’s Commissioner has his say on mandatory reporting of child abuse
Thursday, July 26th, 2018
Children’s Commissioner Andrew Becroft has changed his mind about the mandatory reporting for all abuse. But he also thinks it is inconceivable that any New Zealand community group would have its own private investigation system. Writing for Spinoff, Becroft said that when he became children’s commissioner mandatory reporting seemed a “no-brainer.” But he says all the experts he Read more
Priests willing to go to jail to uphold confessional seal
Monday, June 18th, 2018
Catholic priests say they will face jail rather than break the seal of confession to report child sex abuse. The priests are responding to South Australia’s decision to join the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to create laws to force Catholic priests to break the seal of confession, to report paedophiles to police. The new laws, Read more
Former Vatican judge plea bargains
Thursday, February 22nd, 2018A former judge of the Roman Rota, the Vatican’s highest appellate court, has accepted a plea bargain in an Italian criminal court. He faces a conditionally suspended sentence of one year and two months in prison on charges of sexual molestation and possession of child pornography. Read more
Confessional secrecy must end
Thursday, November 30th, 2017
Lawyers representing sexual abuse victims in the United Kingdom say sexual abuse crime reporting should be mandatory. This would mean priests hearing confessions from abuse perpetrators would have to break the seal of the confessional. The lawyers have told Britain’s Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) that failing to make reporting suspected abuse a Read more