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News & Events
Living or merely existing?
The experiences of male survivors of historical sexual abuse in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
Peer Support as a Pathway Forward.
Thriving, not just surviving: The experiences of male survivors of historical sexual abuse in Aotearoa/New Zealand. - Part 2.
Officials keep quiet after botched Lake Alice compensation
MSD doesn’t say if it’s checking Lake Alice torture survivors’ benefit decisions after compensation botch up The agency wrongly denied accommodation supplement to a Lake Alice survivor, but the decision was overturned Former human rights commissioner criticises MSD’s stance. Officials…
Characteristics of male adolescents who engage in harmful sexual behaviours: Findings from an Aotearoa New Zealand multi-site study
Background Adolescents who engage in harmful sexual behaviours (AHSB) represent a heterogeneous group with complex developmental, psychosocial, and family characteristics. Existing national-level data of these characteristics remains limited, particularly outside North America and Europe. Objective This study aimed to provide…
Police reviewing additional adult sexual assault and child protection investigations
Police are reviewing more adult sexual assault and child protection investigations, RNZ can reveal. They are separate to the more than 50 cases of child protection complaints and adult sexual assaults re-opened after concerns were raised in May about Detective…
Abuse survivors have won their latest fight against the Christian Brothers. But why did it take so much pain and suffering to get here?
Last month’s announcement that the Catholic order was about to go broke wreaked carnage everywhere I looked. Lives have been thrown into turmoil. Early last month, Peter* had some welcome news. The Christian Brothers had agreed to settle. The Catholic…
Abuse in Care survivor Frances Ruwhiu: ‘I thought I was getting a family; instead it was a mental institution’
Nearly two years after Whanaketia, the Royal Commission’s final report into Abuse in Care, Ruwhiu says survivors are still waiting for meaningful change, redress and recognition beyond Lake Alice. Nearly two years after the release of Whanaketia, the landmark Royal…
Research article – Dignity by Design
The vision is clear – a future where survivors are met with helpful social responses that affirm their inherent dignity and worth, respect their autonomy, support healing and social change. Download PDF
Lake Alice survivor forced to live in public car park after benefit wrongly cancelled
A survivor of torture at the notorious Lake Alice child and adolescent unit was forced to live in his house bus in a public car park after his accommodation supplement was wrongly cancelled. This meant Paul Zentveld, who has a…
‘Kick in the guts’: The human cost of reopening 54 child abuse and sexual assault investigations
Police files were supposed to pass through layers of checks and balances. Now 54 sexual assault and child abuse cases are being investigated again, leaving victims to trust the system a second time, while police face questions about why their…
A Prime Minister once hailed it as a rare success. So why has this charity closed?
Former Prime Minister Bill English once hailed a charity as a rare success in reducing youth reoffending in South Auckland. That charity, Genesis Youth Trust, has now closed after failing to secure more Government funding. A young Papakura woman had…
Police launch rapid review of 1,000 sexual assault, child abuse cases managed by one senior officer
Police have reopened 54 adult sexual assault and child abuse investigations after concerns about one senior officer triggered a review of close to 1,000 files. The long-serving senior officer now faces an employment process. Following questions from Stuff, police have…
How one woman’s eight-year fight raises questions about ACC’s ‘abhorrent’ new approach to weekly compensation
Eight years after she first sought help, Kristy Wilson has finally won weekly compensation for the childhood sexual abuse she suffered. But her case has highlighted a disputed new ACC approach that denies some survivors the payment – because ACC…
What is going on at Starship’s child protection unit?
For decades, a small group of specialists at Starship Hospital’s child protection unit have played a central role in some of NZ’s most serious physical child abuse cases. Their opinions trigger police investigations, child removals, criminal prosecutions and prison sentences.…
