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5-Point Action Plan to Tackle Child Abuse
MEDIA RELEASE
28 JULY 2007
5-Point Action Plan
to Tackle Child Abuse
Family First NZ has released a 5-point Action Plan to tackle the high rates of child abuse in NZ.
“The recent Rotorua case which has shocked the nation, in a similar way to the Kahui case, highlights the need for drastic action in this area,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.
The Action Plan
includes:
1. establishing a non-political Commission of
Inquiry comprising community leaders who are working with
at-risk families to identify causes of child abuse and
effective solutions, and examining specifically the role of
drug and alcohol abuse, family breakdown, race-based issues
and poverty in these high rates.
2. an immediate increase
of support and resourcing to grass-root community
organisations who are working with at-risk families
attempting to stop abuse in the first place - for example
HIPPY Foundation, Early Start, Family Help Trust and other
early childhood home-based programmes
3. an increased
investment in parenting organisations such as Parents Inc
and other community based positive parenting
programmes.
4. a media-based anti-child abuse campaign,
in the same way road safety ‘shock’ campaigns are run,
raising the awareness of and encouraging ‘positive’
parenting and identifying what is abuse
5. sentencing for
those who abuse and kill our children to be substantially
increased to provide both a deterrent and a clear message of
our community’s disgust with the actions of people who
abuse children.
“Desparate times call for desparate actions,” says Mr McCoskrie.
“The Children’s Commissioner denies the need for an Inquiry yet the best she can offer is a ban on smacks and wasting time and resources ‘auditing’ good families. Meanwhile the horrendous abuse continues.”
“And the politicians, by spending so much time and energy on section 59 have also shown that they are unwilling and unable to deal with real causes of child abuse. Their cross-party committee to tackle child abuse after the Kahui case self-destructed.”
“Child abuse is greater than any political agenda, will require a huge amount of honesty, and must be owned and solved by New Zealanders.”
“Our silence and inaction has been killing us. No more.”
ENDS
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