19 November 2007

World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse:
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust NZ state:

Every day should be child abuse free

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust New Zealand (GRG) does not want to see another case of child abuse hitting the nation’s headlines.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust NZ state: Every day should be child abuse free, as we know only too well the long term damage this causes.

Sadly, some children in New Zealand still continue to suffer from abuse and neglect. This has especially been impossible to ignore over the past year. The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust urges all New Zealanders to support the World Day for Prevention of Child Abuse and show that violence against children is not acceptable and will not be tolerated.

While many abused children do get identified, we all know many thousands of others go undetected. Grandparents Raising Grandchildren say enough is enough.

Children should be entitled to live free of violence and fear to become solid citizens for tomorrow. The National Convener of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Trust, Diane Vivian, says “We applaud those whanau members who have stepped in to stop violence in families at huge cost to themselves both emotionally and financially.”

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren works to improve the lives of grandparents raising grandchildren in the New Zealand. GRG provides support and assistance to grandparents who are primary caregivers to their grandchildren in difficult circumstances. GRG aims to ensure fair treatment from the legal and child protection services in New Zealand, in order to stabilise and normalise the life of the children involved.

The grandchildren often come from homes where the parents have been abusive, neglectful, violent, and mentally ill or were substance abusers. The children may have witnessed incidents of adult behaviour which were violent and abusive and unacceptable in normal society. As a direct result of their experiences, the children are often emotionally and scholastically behind in their development when they are placed with their grandparents. They might also have physical difficulties or other health problems as a result of the abusive home-life they previously led.

ENDS

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