Roger McClay
Commissioner for Children

The Commissioner for Children, Roger McClay, has called on the Minister of Justice, Phil Goff, to appoint a children's advocate to any government inquiry into the issue arising from the Peter Ellis case.

"In making a decision to investigate the case, the Minister needs to ensure that these child victims have someone who can speak on their behalf. Consultation and input from complainant parents into procedures and “terms of reference” seem basic to me,” he told a meeting of the Wellington South Rotary Club today.

“It is of grave concern to me that over the past six and a half years since Ellis's conviction for sexually abusing children, public attention has been focussed almost exclusively on the campaign to clear Ellis' name.

In the midst of all this, the evidence of the child victims and their families has been largely ignored. The media and the public seem ready to discredit the evidence of these seven children and the many others who have since spoken out about their abuse at the hands of this man.

I am not going to ignore the lives of the more than 200 children who attended the creche in the years Peter Ellis was there.

I am going to Christchurch to meet with them and I will endeavour to put their views and concerns to Mr Goff.

It is time for us all to stand up and ensure the voices of our children are heard.”

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