National child abuse advocacy group - Child Matters - says yesterday’s revelation that authorities were never alerted to the extent of Malachi Subecz’s horrific injuries is a stark reminder that government legislation must change – and now.

Yesterday at the Rotorua High Court, Michaela Barriball was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years for the murder of 5-year-old Malachi in Te Puna last year.

Malachi attended Abbey’s Place Childcare Centre in Tauranga and it was revealed in court yesterday that although photographs were taken of his injuries, they were never reported to authorities.

Ex-Police detective, lawyer and now CEO of Child Matters, Jane Searle says laws need to change urgently before another innocent child is killed in Aotearoa.

“The death of children like Malachi is completely avoidable – if the adults in his life had taken action, then the outcome would most likely have been different. Children who are being abused cannot stop that abuse – that is the role of adults.

“It’s astonishing to me that in New Zealand – unlike many other countries including Australia and the UK – child protection training is not mandatory for professionals or volunteers who work with children and young people,” she says.

Ms Seale says the tragic loss of Malachi should result in two important questions being asked - how did this happen and how do we put changes in place so that we can stop it happening again?

“With one child dying from abuse every five weeks on average in New Zealand, the need for teachers and childcare workers to have compulsory child protection training is crucial if we are to have a society that knows how to protect its children and young people, take action when needed, and follow up to ensure their safety,” says Ms Searle.

“It is important to have good training in place for professionals so they know how to identify the signs of abuse and neglect, and then know how to respond, which includes reporting. Schools in particular need to ensure that they have good policy and procedures in place to support teachers through this process,” she says.

Ms Searle believes teachers in New Zealand are often not trained in this way, nor supported by good policies to report. That is an obvious gap that needs to be closed immediately.

She says every time a child loses their life or is seriously harmed due to child abuse, it is completely avoidable.

“This situation is real, across all parts of New Zealand society, and the consequences cost the lives of our children or leave them with life-changing harm and trauma. In turn, this creates a legacy of issues for future generations.

“With a national election on the horizon in 2023, it is time for politicians to listen to frontline organisations and do what they are elected to do – work with communities to protect our most vulnerable children and young people,” says Ms Searle.

Child Matters is an independent child abuse advocacy and training provider and New Zealand’s only national charitable trust dedicated to the prevention of child abuse.

© Scoop Media