‘Happy New Year’ would be the year we wipe out child abuse
“A ‘Happy New Year’ would be the year we wipe
out child abuse” – Norm
Hewitt
“Happy New Year”
we’ve been saying to each other ever since 2011 ticked
over into 2012. What would a happy new year really be?
A “Happy New Year” for me would be when no child
goes hungry or goes to school covered in nits and sores. A
happy new year for me would be when no child is kicked in
the guts for wetting themselves, or slammed through a glass
coffee table for not calling his mother’s boyfriend
“Daddy”. A happy new year for me would be a year in
which the newspapers never have to run a headline such as,
“Two years old and in his grave: Who killed baby
JJ?”
It’s no secret how low New Zealand sits in
the OECD rankings for child health and safety. On almost all
measures those rankings are judged by we’re shamefully
low. And why? On paper, New Zealand should be a great place
to bring up children. We’ve got generally low population
density, great open spaces, relatively clean air and water,
plenty of food, free schooling….
But while we still
congratulate ourselves on those things, and continue to
believe the myth that New Zealand is a great place for
families, the figures tell a different story. Each year
around 10 children are killed by a family member, while well
over a thousand children are hospitalised for injuries
inflicted by the same group. But we know those children are
just a representation – there are tens of thousands of
others living silently with abuse and neglect.
The
names of children who have been killed through mistreatment
are all too familiar. Those most recently in the media are
names such as Chris and Cru Kahui, JJ Lawrence, Serenity Jay
Scott, Cezar Taylor, and Terepo Taura-Griffith. But these
are just the names we know.
We also know the factors
that contribute to children being vulnerable to abuse and
neglect. The bigger question is what do we do about it?
That’s the question the Government set out to get answers
to when the Minister for Social Development, Paula Bennett,
launched the Green Paper for Vulnerable Children in July
last year. This is a discussion document that asks all New
Zealanders to think about what those answers might be –
what needs to change at a government and societal level to
truly make New Zealand a great, safe place to bring up
kids?
The Green Paper asks a number of challenging
questions: Should all children be tracked from birth? Should
social agencies have more power to intervene? Should
children get a bigger cut of the budget – if so, who
misses out? These are big questions, and that’s why we
need opinions, views and submissions from as many New
Zealanders as possible, no matter who they are, where they
live, how qualified they are, or how old they are –
children’s voices are perhaps the most important in this
whole debate.
I’m delighted to be one of three
Champions appointed to promote the Green Paper and get us
talking about child abuse. The others are South Auckland
lawyer Sandra Alofivae, and the Chief Executive of
Barnardos, Murray Edridge. We’re all utterly passionate
about the need to get a national debate going, because
talking about it and coming up with ideas is the only way we
can fix the issue and protect our children.
Making a
submission is easy. If you’ve got a computer, you can do
it online – go to www.saysomething.org.nz. You can post
your views on Facebook or Twitter. If you don’t have a
computer, you can write a letter, or pick up a submission
form from the local WINZ office. No-one needs to miss out,
and everyone’s views are important, no matter how big or
small. But there’s not much time left – submissions
close on 28 February, and then work begins on creating a
Children’s Action Plan.
Last year was a hard year
for our tamariki, so let’s do all we can to make 2012
truly a happy one for our vulnerable children. Let’s
change the end of the story for them. That change starts by
making a submission on the Green Paper for Vulnerable
Children.
Go to www.saysomething.org.nz for more
information on the Green Paper for Vulnerable
Children.
You can:
• Email to yourresponse@childrensactionplan.govt.nz.
•
•
• Mail: Green Paper for Vulnerable
Children, PO Box 1556, Wellington 6140.
•
•
• Visit www.saysomething.org.nz and make a
submission online.
•
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• Facebook:
www.facebook.com/greenpapernz
•
•
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/greenpapernz
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•
Norm
Hewitt is a Champion for the Green Paper for Vulnerable
Children. He is a former All Black, and now runs the Nga
Mauri Pounamu Ora
Trust.
ENDS