PRESS RELEASE

19 August 2011

Government bill against child abusers only a band aid

Embargo till 10am

The Conservative Party welcomes tougher sanctions for those turning a blind eye to child abuse. But they will be repealing the anti-smacking law to protect good families who are raising great kids.

Laws need to target the problem – not victimize families who don’t deserve or warrant the intervention of the state.

The Conservative Party wants the damaging rate of child abuse to be brought down. This can only be achieved by understanding the factors which fuel the problem.

We must face the fact that New Zealand is becoming a far more dangerous place for the very young. Dysfunction in families puts the young at risk and child abuse is a real problem with nearly 1 child death per month being the result of abuse.

It is a tragedy that cannot be allowed to continue. The Conservative Party supports a non-political inquiry into family breakdown and child abuse in New Zealand to obtain policy recommendations on how to halt and reverse these trends. “We must examine the roots of the child abuse culture if we are to turn back the tide,” says Colin Craig leader of the Conservative Party.

ENDS

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