The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care began probing into state and faith-based care of children, young people, and vulnerable adults over five years ago.
An abuse survivors’ network says the state is still protecting religious institutions where abuse was covered up.
The Abuse in Care inquiry on Wednesday said “unimaginable” and widespread abuse in care between 1950 and 2019 amounted to a “national disgrace”.
The inquiry found evidence of abuse and failuresof responsibility at welfare institutions, churches and other religious organisations, some schools, the police and in successive governments.
The Network for Survivors of Abuse in Faith-Based Institutions today said more work was needed to make institutions accountable and to prevent abuse.
Network spokespeople Liz Tonks and Murray Heasley said survivors abused in faith-based institutions, in formal and informal care, were silenced and traumatised while abuse was enabled, covered up or denied.
They said perpetrators over the years were often protected by church leaders and officials who were secure in knowing the state would “protect” them and their assets and non-taxpaying status.
The network said the Labour-led Government initially excluded most survivors of church abuse from the inquiry scope.
“When forced to reverse that decision, it later amended the scope to downgrade the investigation of the abuse under the care of the churches to focus on those taken into bricks-and-mortar institutions under the direct guardianship of the state and that don’t exist today.”
Tonks and Heasley said that effectively excluded survivors who struggled to see themselves represented and supported.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, seen with Cabinet minister Erica Stanford, says the Government will deliver a formal apology to abuse in care victims and survivors on November 12. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The network said children were often sexually abused in the informal care of churches, at schools, presbyteries, church camps, cars, beaches, private homes, music rooms, showers and even in their own homes.
The network said abuse in such settings and church-affiliated schools was still a risk.
Heasley and Tonks said 60% of sexually abused children in the network across different churches were abused in such settings and to ignore this would be to deny the majority of victim-survivors justice.
The network proposed an independent entity to oversee the investigation of complaints, receive claims for redress and ensure all survivors got adequate financial compensation and other redress needed.
It said the Government must determine fair and consistent financial compensation and access to support services for rapid access by survivors of historic abuse.
Tonks and Heasley said churches had not provided adequate and rapid redress to all victims of abuse and therefore could not “be trusted to do what is right”.
The network said the Government should stop “protecting” the churches, should review their tax-free status and ensure survivors of abuse in church care be included in Government solutions about redress and abuse prevention.
Broadly speaking, redress means justice and includes appropriate compensation for harm done, but also describes ongoing support and appropriate apologies.
The inquiry report released on Wednesday found people who had suffered during decades of abuse had received little redress and added: “If this injustice is not addressed, it will remain as a stain on our national character forever”.
Survivor advocate Steve Brown says any redress scheme had to be transparent and genuine, and not prevent survivors from accessing ongoing support. Photo / Jason Oxenham
As Open Justice reported this week, the highest reported levels of sexual abuse were at Dilworth School in Auckland, Marylands School in Christchurch and “at Catholic institutions in general”.
Steve Brown, formerly Dilworth Old Boys’ Association president and a supporter of survivors, said any redress scheme had to involve meaningful acknowledgement and be transparent about methods used to determine compensation.
“If they get an apology, is it going to mean anything?”
He said survivors generally should have the option to take a support person to redress discussions, and not feel pressured into taking offers.
Brown said many survivors were vulnerable because they “just want to move on with their lives and can’t cope with it anymore”.
He said counselling should be available for survivors for as long as the survivors needed it.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon this week praised survivors.
“I cannot take away your pain but I can tell you this: Today you are heard, and you are believed,” he said on Wednesday.
Luxon said he would deliver a formal apology to victims and survivors on November 12, and decisions around how to provide redress were under way “at pace”.
Meanwhile, Attorney-General Judith Collins has reminded state and faith-based institutions of their legal obligation to preserve records.
