Dame Susan Devoy: Another innocent child killed

I can't believe yet another innocent child has been murdered.

As we hear of the horrific fate of JJ Ruhe, our hearts go out to that poor innocent child viciously beaten to death.

How is that four adults were present and everyone has a conflicting view of events?

These people seem more concerned with protecting themselves and each other than bringing the person responsible to account.

It demonstrates a complete disregard for human life.

Sadly they are not the first hiding the guilty.

There are numerous cases of child abuse where the abuser has never been charged.

Currently no one has been arrested for the murder of baby Serenity who was killed earlier this year in Ngaruawahia and, of course, we will never forget the widely publicised case of the Kahui twins.

Incredulously, the mothers of JJ and Serenity are both pregnant again.

The thought of another baby being born into this environment makes me feel ill.

In the past 12 months, we have had more than our fair share of tragedy.

The loss of life from the Pike River mine and then the Christchurch earthquake had a profound effect on every New Zealander.

However, an accident - even if avoidable - and a natural disaster are somewhat different circumstances than the deaths of innocent children who we expect to be loved and nurtured.

The Government has promised to try to return the miners to their families and promised to rebuild Christchurch.

These are givens but who is going to promise that not one more child dies?

We have too many children living in environments where their mothers have had multiple partners who take little or no responsibility for their offspring, households where alcohol and drugs take priority over feeding the children.

How can we expect the next generation to be any different?

We are so much defined by our genes and the environment in which we are raised.

Child abuse will not be solved by just spending more money, although I don't imagine anyone would object if money was the silver bullet but it's rather like pouring oil on a fire.

We now have quarter of a million children living in poverty. Twenty years ago, there were 8000 on the DPB and now there are more than 300,000 living on some welfare entitlement and the gap between the rich and the poor has increasingly grown wider.

I have no doubt that there is a correlation between poverty and many of the social issues we are facing today. But, at the end of the day, it is still an excuse, not a reason.

There is nothing in this world that could justify a human being taking the life of an innocent child. End of story.