FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 14 FEBRUARY 2007

Preventing Child Abuse and Poverty Key Issues for Government to Address

In order to improve the lives of New Zealand children we must focus on reducing child abuse and lifting families out of poverty, says Save the Children New Zealand Executive director, John Bowis in response to the Prime Minister's Statement at the opening of Parliament yesterday.

"Save the Children strongly supports the focus on the elimination of family violence and the extra support being directed towards community campaigns and the SKIP programme, which provides parents with support, strategies and information that will enhance positive parenting skills," John Bowis said.

"It is especially good to hear the Prime Minister's support for changes to Section 59 of the Crimes Act, recommended by the Justice and Electoral Select Committee, to help prevent child abuse. Save the Children strongly urges all Members of Parliament to vote for the Bill in its second reading so that further progress can be made with this important legislation, for children.

“We must respect every child’s right to a life free from abuse and violence and play our parting supporting parents and the community to reduce violence against children. The UN's recently released Study on Violence Against Children confirms that all countries including New Zealand must 'explicitly prohibit all forms of violence against children'.

"In the past year we have heard far too many stories of child abuse and tragedy in New Zealand, so it is essential that we do more now to prevent child abuse. On top of this, poverty still holds many of our children back. The Prime Minister's 'dream' to eradicate child poverty must be turned into a reality. New Zealand is making good progress towards this goal with the Working for Families package but we must do more.

"We must continue to make real progress and set targets for making New Zealand a much better place for children. look forward to the day when all children have been lifted out of poverty. As part of this, Save the Children continues to promote a yearly child well-being report in order to identify, monitor and properly address all barriers to child well-being. Every child has a right to a safe and happy home," John Bowis said.

ENDS

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