Biggest child abuse offender is the government

Hone Harawira, MANA Leader and MP for Te Tai Tokerau Wednesday

14 August 2013

"Absolutely we need to be doing all we can to keep our children safe from abuse and neglect", says Hone Harawira, Leader of MANA and MP for Te Tai Tokerau. "But I want the government put on notice to stop their abuse and neglect of kids and whānau too".

"All the evidence tells us that for kids to grow up safe and well they need a decent house, whānau with a decent income and a job, and a decent doctor they can go to for free. And yet this government is more than happy to go in the complete opposite direction - doing all they can to kick whānau out of state housing onto the street, kick people off benefits into non-existent jobs, and set up doctors as new extended WINZ offices to continue the harassment.

"Getting tough on families without providing them with the means and capability of being a good parent is abuse in my books: you're setting them up to fail, and then waiting to clobber them when they do.

"Investing in our kids, and in those families who are struggling, has already been proven around the world as the way to go to improve child safety, health and wellbeing, and to give them the best of chance of making something of themselves. Any government who chooses to ignore this fact chooses to be a perpetrator alongside abusive individuals who harm, kill, and damage children.

"Paula Bennett, John Key, Hekia Parata, Nick Smith, Steven Joyce - you're all on notice".

ENDS

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