Page 10 - IB APR 2017

Abuse ‘ ’
Silence of the rams

OUT IN THE OPEN
Calls Letters & Private Referrals to
handled Emails sessions authorities
received held (including police)
36,110 22,686 6,292 1,774
Source - Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
by Jason Brown
A WHITE New Zealander sits on a couch ing inquiry in Australia includes nearly
and spreads his legs from the knees, feet Child 400 references to New Zealand.
close together. abuse cases And the UK inquiry has started with
continue to
He forms his arms, heavily tattooed, surface and testimony about children sent to Australia
into a downward circle. haunt New and New Zealand after World War II.
“They would make us sit down between Zealand Many of them subjected to horrific
their legs, and they would put their feet abuse.
between our legs,” he tells Islands Busi- abuse. But it is the Australian inquiry begin-
ness. The previous government “declined to ning to capture attention across the region,
“If we tried to move, they would- ” hold an inquiry,” says Anne Tolley, min- with dozens of references to the islands.
he jerks his heels back, hard, thumping ister for Socal Development, referring to Along with hundreds for New Zealand,
against the bottom of the couch “ -kick 2006 when there was what she describes there are a dozen references to Indonesia,
us in the balls.” as a “whole-of-government response to 15 for Timor Leste, 44 for Papua New
In his late 50’s, the man is demonstrat- historic claims” was being considered. Guinea, Samoa 12, Solomon Islands 3,
ing a method of abuse used against him “There has been no change of view on Hawaii 3, and one reference each involv-
and other boys, when they were children that since,” she says, in answer to ques- ing Tonga, Guam and the Mariana Islands.
under state care. tions from Islands Business. Country references are joined with tes-
He recounts the memory flatly, without “Rather, government took steps to timony about Oceania, 45, Pacific Islands,
emotion, eyes expressionless. Rolls a develop a crown historic claims litigation 5, and Polynesia, 1, as well as 595 men-
cigarette from homegrown tobacco. strategy which focuses on early and direct tions of the word, “indigenous” and 914
“And that was just one of the minor resolution of claims with claimants.” for “Aboriginal.”
things, not counting all the other stuff Such is the official silence in circles, So far, no references to New Caledonia,
they did to us.” that Tolley claims the possibility of a full Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Tuvalu,
He stares back, no anger, silent, like a inquiry was not discussed in her ministry, Tokelau, Niue, Cook Islands, French Poly-
ram in a field. at all. nesia, Easter Island, Kiribati, or the Mar-
That silence is an ingrained part of New “Neither me, my office, nor the former shall Islands have been made at the Royal
Zealand culture, hiding numerous Maori Minister for Social Development, Hon Commission into Institutional Responses
and Pacific Islands victims, but many Paula Bennett, have provided any dis- to Child Sexual Abuse.
Europeans as well. cussions, briefings, submissions or other Given New Zealand’s close links with
“Time for an inquiry,” says Kenneth communications to Cabinet relating to the the islands, this could change - if it were to
Clearwater, commenting on the official establishment of an independent inquiry follow the example of its Commonwealth
Facebook page for MSSAT, the Male Sur- into historic abuse claims.” partn However, this seems unlikely, at
vivors of Sexual Abuse a trust he founded. A similar denial came from Justice min- least for now.
An apparently quirky character whose ister Amy Adams. Late last year, Social Development
personal profile lists a high school educa- In answer to a question about what dis- minister Tolley ruled out making an apol-
tion where he “Studied girls”, and a photo cussion there was in government around ogy, claiming there was “no evidence” of
of himself in a Superman tshirt, munching the controversial resignation of New Zea- “systemic” abuse.
a half-eaten sandwich, Clearwater is one land judge, Lowell Goddard, from heading As noted repeatedly at the Australian
of the few public voices raising issues a long-troubled inquiry into child abuse in inquiry, New Zealand does not have
around child abuse. the United Kingdom, Adams was terse. mandatory reporting laws for child abuse.
“Challenging the silence” is the title of a “I do not hold any information relating In her response to IBI questions, Tolley
2012 book given away free as a download to (this) question ... and do not have any rejected criticism that government was at-
by the trust, marking its 20th anniversary reason to believe this information would tempting to spin the problem as a historic
as Islands Business went to press. be held by another agency.” problem.
So far, that challenge is being ignored. How Adams arrived at this belief is not “Child abuse is not only a ‘historic’
Among many other corruption scan- made clear. concern,” she says.“I am well aware that
dals, the current government continues What is clear, though, is that the New child abuse of all sorts has been perpetu-
a policy from earlier administrations, Zealand government is under increasing ated for many, many decades and that it
involving nearly all sides of the house, pressure to hold some sort of inquiry. still continues.”
refusing to hold a full inquiry into child Revelations from testimony to an ongo- r avaiki.nius@gmail.com

10 Islands Business, April 2017