Some 200,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults suffered abuse while in state and faith-based care in New Zealand over the last 70 years, a landmark investigation has found.
It means almost one in three children in care from 1950 to 2019 suffered some form of abuse, including being subject to rape, electric shocks and forced labour, according to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry.
The publication of the commission’s final report follows a six-year investigation into the experiences of nearly 3,000 people.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon apologised for the findings, calling it “a dark and sorrowful day in New Zealand’s history as a society”.
The inquiry was New Zealand’s biggest and most expensive to date, costing about NZ$170m ($101m; £78m).
Many of those abused have come from disadvantaged or marginalised communities, including Māori and Pacific people, as well as those with disabilities.
Click on the link below to continue…
