MEDIA RELEASE
6 June 2012
Proactive Measures on Known Child Abusers Welcomed

Family First NZ is welcoming proposed plans to monitor known child abusers – providing the measures are targeted at rotten parents.

“The proposals outlined seem, on the face of it, to be a common sense approach. We have always argued that when a parent has committed serious child abuse, we should do everything within our power to prevent other or further children of those parents being put at similar or worse risk,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“We have heard far too many times about CYF not being aware that a known child abuser has had further children. The system is failing vulnerable children because we are ignoring the obvious risks, and it’s time that parents who are red-flagged for serious child abuse are targeted and monitored on an ongoing basis. This includes fathers.”

“Dysfunctional parents do not have a reproductive right to have more children who will then be at risk of child abuse. That’s a flawed argument,” says Mr McCoskrie. “The protection of children is paramount over the rights of adults to have more children – especially where those adults have proven beyond doubt that they are rotten parents.”

However, Family First is warning that any proposal to mirror CYF practice and remove children or prevent children being placed with extended families who may use a smack as part of raising their children will overstep the mark, and should be strongly rejected.

“If these proposals are targeted at rotten parents who have maimed or murdered their children, then we will start to see constructive steps to reducing our unacceptable rates of child abuse deaths,” says Mr McCoskrie.
ENDS

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