New Zealand Faces Reckoning Over Decades of Abuse in State and Religious Care

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced an official apology following a report revealing widespread abuse of children and vulnerable adults in state and religious care from 1950 to 2019. The inquiry documented severe abuses and called for public apologies and billions in compensation for survivors.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed regret on Wednesday after a public inquiry found some 200,000 children, young people, and vulnerable adults were abused in state and religious care over the last 70 years. According to the report, nearly one in three children and vulnerable adults in care from 1950 to 2019 experienced some form of abuse, potentially leading the government to face billions of dollars in compensation claims.

"This is a dark and sorrowful day in New Zealand's history as a society and as a state, we should have done better, and I am determined that we will do so," Luxon told a news conference. An official apology will follow on Nov. 12, he added.

Survivors and their supporters filled the public gallery of the country's parliament as the report was debated, with many singing an Indigenous Maori song about love and unity. The report, by the Royal Commission of Inquiry, detailed severe abuses in state and faith-based care, including rape, sterilization, and electric shocks, peaking in the 1970s. The Indigenous Maori community and individuals with disabilities were especially vulnerable.

Civil and faith leaders attempted to cover up abuse and avoided culpability, the report noted. "It is a national disgrace that hundreds of thousands of children, young people, and adults were abused and neglected in the care of the State and faith-based institutions," the report stated.

The report made 138 recommendations, including public apologies from New Zealand's government, as well as the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Catholic Church of New Zealand is reviewing the report and a spokesperson for the Anglican Church did not immediately comment.

Luxon mentioned that the total compensation for survivors could run into billions of dollars. Discussions on compensation are ongoing with survivor groups. The report also called for payments to families of survivors due to intergenerational trauma and a review of past compensation in abuse cases. Establishing a Care Safe Agency and mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, including admissions during religious confessions, were among other key recommendations.

(With inputs from agencies.)