God help the vulnerable children.
Child abuse is rising in NZ
Stuff.co 23 October 2013
Sixty children a day are being abused, with few signs that New Zealand’s appalling record of caring for our young is improving.
Latest figures show there were 21,778 substantiated child abuse claims in the year to June, slightly more than in the previous year.
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett said it was still early days in the fight against child abuse.
“The fact that children are being seriously abused and neglected at such high rates proves in itself that our priority and attention should be on them,” she said.
Children’s Commissioner Russell Wills said the number showed the public’s tolerance for violence against women and children still had a way to go.
“One is too many and 22,000 is a very high number . . . We need it to come down,” he said.
BY THE NUMBERS148,209 notifications of child abuse or neglect
21,778 cases of substantiated abuse
12,072 of emotional abuse
5104 of neglect
3190 of assault
1412 of sexual abuse
17,181 children abused 2
309 children abused more than once in the past six months
37 children abused under state care.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/
