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A New Zealand Care Leaver’s Christmas Wish
A New Zealand Care Leaver’s Christmas Wish
The co-ordinator of the newly formed NZ branch of CLAN (Care Leavers Australasia Network), ex-State ward Netta Christian from Hamilton, says Prime Minister John Key has the opportunity to play Santa, not Scrooge, this Christmas.
Netta, who is now in her 70s, is asking the NZ Government to promise to appoint a fair and equitable Royal Commission of Inquiry for the thousands of people who have grown up in New Zealand’s orphanages, children’s homes, foster care and mental institutions - who are now seeking justice and reparation.
“Christmas can be an especially difficult time for Care Leavers,” Ms Christian explained. “For people who were removed from their parents as children, Christmas can rekindle traumatic memories of childhood separation and loss of family.
It is now timely for the NZ Government to start planning for an Independent Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate into Historical Institutional Child Abuse, just as Australia and the UK are doing right now. At this point New Zealand is the only Commonwealth country to have never had an Inquiry into the abuse of children in State care.The New Zealand government, as our legal parents, has failed in their duty of care to us.”
“The NZ branch of CLAN is calling for all forms of abuse to be recognised in a National Independent Redress Scheme. There is more than one way to harm a child and many children suffered cruel and brutal physical, emotional and mental abuse, trauma and neglect while living in State care. Not only do they deserve adequate financial compensation but they also need priority access to services such as psychological care, medical, dental and housing services.
The Inquiry must investigate where systems have failed to protect children, and make recommendations on how to improve laws, policies and practices to prevent and better respond to child abuse in state care.”
“Mr Key, please grant New Zealand Care Leavers this Christmas wish: Give us the peace of mind we deserve after being failed so miserably by successive governments when we were children.”
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