Dozens of institutions and organisations named in Abuse in Care report
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care report has named dozens of institutions it said was at various levels of fault for the abuse within their walls, as detailed by survivors’ experiences.
The report outlined what happened to those in care between 1950 to 2019, when an estimated 200,000 people were abused.
It found abuse and neglect was prevalent in social welfare, faith – particularly Catholic, Anglican, and Gloriavale – and disability and mental health settings.
“A higher proportion of survivors in faith settings than in state care were sexually abused.
“The highest reported levels of sexual abuse were at Dilworth School in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland (Anglican), Marylands School in Ōtautahi Christchurch (Catholic) and at Catholic institutions in general.”
Of the registered survivors, 1346 were from state care, 466 from faith-based care, 375 in both state and faith-based care, and 142 from a non-specified type of care.
It also found those in foster care experienced the highest levels of sexual abuse among social welfare care settings.
“More survivors came forward who had experienced abuse and neglect in boys’ or girls’ homes, and in foster care, than in any other state-based care settings.”
It said institutions carrying out residential and institutional care in social welfare, education and health and disability care settings had high levels of physical abuse.
“The highest levels of physical abuse were reported at Wesleydale Boys’ Home and Ōwairaka Boys’ Home, both in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland.”
It said cruelty, violence and abuse were “embedded” and were ritualised in day‐to‐day lives.
“Most survivors who spent time within social welfare institutions such as Hamilton Boys’ Home in Kirikiriroa Hamilton, Kohitere Boys’ Training Centre and Epuni Boys’ Home in Taitoko Levin and Ōwairaka Boys’ Home in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland discussed the culture of violence within those facilities”
Organisations
The report listed scores of organisations, from the over 2300 survivors who spoke to the inquiry. In its findings it included:
Lake Alice Child and Adolescent Unit: Electric shocks, injections of paraldehyde, misuse of solitary confinement, exposed to unreasonable medical risks.
Marylands School and Hebron Trust: Extensive and extreme abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, pervasive neglect, cultural and religious abuse and racism.
Te Whakapakiri Youth Programme on Aotea Great Barrier Island: Pervasive and extreme abuse and neglect, severe physical violence, sent alone to an isolated island for days, evidence of young people being threatened with death through mock executions.
Kimberley Centre near Taitoko Levin: Severe and chronic abuse and neglect of disabled children, young people and adults, physical and sexual abuse, physical abuse was common – reflected by the ‘Kimberley cringe’ where survivors would cower if approached quickly, extreme neglect of physical, emotional, psychological, educational, medical and dental needs, and some disabled children, young people and adults not fed for long periods.
Kelston School for the Deaf in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, and Van Asch College in Ōtautahi Christchurch: Deaf students experienced regular sexual, physical, verbal and psychological abuse, all Deaf children and young people experienced linguistic abuse, and neglect and language suppression and Deaf children and young people were punished for using sign language.
Hokio Beach School in Taitoko Levin and Kohitere Boys’ Training Centre in Taitoko Levin: Normalised and pervasive violence, with many experiencing severe corporal punishment, sometimes inflicted with weapons and to the genitals, staff encouraged peer-on-peer violence through a king-pin system, sexual abuse, misused solitary confinement, normalised racism and cultural abuse, boys punished with extreme physical training and inhumane tasks.
Under ‘findings of fault’ it listed faith-based institutions:
The inquiry heard from 841 survivors who shared their experiences of faith-based care.
The Catholic Church in New Zealand and related Catholic entities: Inadequate response to abuse and neglect complaints, appointing abusers to schools without effective protective methods, prioritising forgiveness over safeguarding and accountability, creating a power imbalance between clergy and parishioners, prioritising the church’s reputation over safety.
The Anglican Church in New Zealand and Polynesia: Promoting corporal punishment, normalising bullying and suppressing Māori and Pacific culture, failing to implement monitoring, allowing complaints to be managed by those familiar with alleged abusers, and failing to protect people and hold abusers accountable by ignoring or covering up abuse.
The Methodist Church of New Zealand: At fault for the ‘pain and suffering of those who suffered sexual, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse and neglect in church settings, including Wesley College, former children’s homes, and by ministers or foster parents, not implementing protection policies or mandatory police vetting across church entities, not delivering a restorative response to abuse reports or complaints and causing additional harm by initially disbelieving survivors, contesting their concerns and failing to address complaints.
From Gloriavale’s inception in 1969 through to the end of the inquiry period, the Overseeing Shepherd and senior leadership of the Gloriavale Christian Community: Allowing physical and sexual abuse to happen, failing to recognise the harm, responding to abuse allegations by seeking repentance from offenders and forgiveness from victims, inappropriately handling perpetrators, handling abuse complaints internally, creating a culture that allowed abuse to occur.
Presbyterian Church of New Zealand and Presbyterian Support Services Central: Protecting the congregation from outside interference, increasing abuse and neglect risks, suppressing abuse reports at times, isolating survivors and moving perpetrators without considering risks, allowing continued abuse.
The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory: Wide-ranging sexual, physical, psychological abuse and neglect, including by Salvation Army staff, officers, residents, visitors, foster parents, and caregivers, abuse involving racism, ableism, and discrimination based on gender and sexuality, mistreatment in homes for unwed mothers, and abuse and neglect in various children’s homes and serious neglect in some children’s and unwed mothers’ homes, including inadequate nutrition and healthcare.
Also under findings of fault:
Social welfare settings:– Relevant ministers, the Superintendent of the Child Welfare Division, Department of Education and then subsequently the director-general and chief executives of the Department of Social Welfare.
Deaf, disability and mental health settings: Relevant ministers, directors-general of health and directors of mental health.
Education settings: Relevant ministers, secretaries, and chief executives of education.
Transitional and law enforcement settings: Successive commissioners of NZ Police.
Whole of care system settings: Successive governments, including ministers, and successive state or public service commissioners for failing to hold chief executives to account.
The report said survivors called for public apologies from state and faith leaders – including the prime minister, faith leaders, “all public sector leaders, leaders of relevant professional bodies, leaders of care providers and leaders of faith-based institutions need to apologise to survivors publicly”.
The report said the leaders of state and faith-based institutions failed in their duty to “nurture, protect and help people flourish”.
“Children, young people and adults in care were exposed to unimaginable physical, emotional, mental and sexual abuse, severe exploitation and neglect,” the report stated.
“It is a national disgrace.”