Wellington, April 11, 2017
The hypocrisy of the government launching a Ministry for Vulnerable Children, while refusing to launch an inquiry into the abuse of children in state care is mindboggling.
Its point the bone everywhere else but the mirror.
100,000 children have been taken into state care since 1950, and I do not know of any who talk about it being a pleasant experience.
The horror stories we saw ‘The Hui’ on Sunday (on Maori Television) are just the tip of an iceberg.
The long trauma
Those who have tried to make complaints tell us how hard it is to get over the shame and embarrassment to want to do something, then how hard it is to get somebody to listen, how long it takes for anyone to respond, how difficult it is to get at the truth, and how traumatising it is to be dragged through the whole ugly memory again.
More than 50,000 of the children caught up in this whole sordid affair are Maori, and they deserve our support.
Maori MPs from all sides of the house need to stand together on this.
These are our people our cousins, our whanau.
There must be official recognition of the problem and an independent inquiry into the historical abuse of children in state care.
Hone Harawira is Leader of the Mana Party of New Zealand.
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