15 July 2004

Time For Action – Not Talk Over Social Ills

An increase of 10,000 complaints reported to Child Youth and Family Services in the past year cements New Zealand’s reputation as one of the worst countries in the world for reported child abuse, says New Zealand First social services spokesperson Bill Gudgeon.

“Over the past 12 months, CYF has received 43,414 abuse notifications. This is an absolute indictment on New Zealand society,” said Mr Gudgeon.

“It’s time Government started asking hard questions as to why the number of suspected child abuse cases has risen so dramatically. It is a very clear and urgent indication that something is terribly wrong with our family situation.

“CYF is the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, and there is nothing in place to prevent incidents such as those reported from happening again and again. Monitoring statistics in the hope that the problem will recede by itself is a waste of time and resources.

“It’s time to act. Let’s get real and investigate the real cause. The family unit is in trouble and it is not until crisis point has been reached that their voices can be heard,” Mr Gudgeon said.

ENDS

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