NEW ZEALAND
Stuff
November 14, 2017
By Joel Ineson
A senior member of the Catholic Church has thrown his support behind a strengthening bid for a royal commission into child abuse, but will not pledge the same from the institution as a whole.
Bill Kilgallon wants his own church – and all other faith-based institutions – to be included in the Government’s inquiry into the abuse of children in state care before 1992.
The call comes as concern continues to mount that the Government’s inquiry will miss the scale of historical child abuse in New Zealand if it limits its scope to state-affiliated or owned institutions.
An Australian Royal Commission into child abuse, considered by many to be a global benchmark, reported that 60 per cent of abuse happened in faith-based institutions.
“If they keep going down the track of just a state institution inquiry . . . it’ll leave the majority of abuse out,” Liz Tonks, a supporter of male sex abuse victims, said.
Sporting clubs have also been flagged by advocates as institutions that need to be included in an inquiry.
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