Canterbury ‘under siege’ as police attend 11 attempted suicide events a day
Canterbury’s mental health is “under siege” following a series of traumatic events, with an average of 11 attempted suicides a day last year.
Police statistics released on Wednesday show 4369 attempted suicide events in Canterbury were reported in 2018, up 59 per cent from 2015. Canterbury was ahead of the rest of the country, with Wellington second at 2670 reported attempts.
Published in Stuff
Convicted child sex offender James Grainger continues his denials
A 68-year-old man convicted of repeated sexual abuse of a teenage boy has gone to prison still denying that anything happened.
James Grainger, of Spreydon, was convicted of 16 charges at a jury trial in the Christchurch District Court and has been assessed as still posing a “medium-to-high” risk.
Judge Paul Kellar said Grainger had still shown no empathy for the victim, or remorse.
He jailed Grainger for nine years and six months after making allowances for his age and for having no previous convictions.
Published in Stuff
Catholic Church sex abuse memorial reinstated as survivors call for meeting with Bishop
The head of the Catholic Church in Auckland has called on parishioners to respect child sex abuse memorial ribbons after abuse survivors raised concerns.
The destruction of a “Loud Fence” memorial outside an Onehunga church on June 1 sparked claims of re-victimisation from a survivors’ group, which said the church continued to minimise or misunderstand the gravity of past abuse.
The church previously said “frightened” children removed ribbons from the fence after Mike Ledingham launched his book The Catholic Boys, which detailed his abuse at the hands of the late Father Francis “Frank” Green, on June 1.
Published in Stuff
Family and Sexual Violence Service Provider Update
Kia ora koutou,
Welcome to our newsletter which provides news about the Ministry of Social Development’s work programme to strengthen family violence and sexual violence services.
In this update you’ll find information about:
- Next steps for new funding of sexual violence services
- Whānau Resilience regional presentations underway
- Pouwhakataki roles now on GETS
- Fernhill analysis of sexual violence services completed
- Gap in sexual violence post-crisis care
- Next phase of changes to Family Violence Acts
- Child and family research funding available
Next steps for new funding of sexual violence services
Following the Government’s announcement of new funding for the sexual violence sector we would like to talk to service providers about what this will mean.
In last month’s Wellbeing Budget the Government announced $131 million over four years toward expanding specialist sexual violence services. Of this funding, $90.3 million has been allocated to MSD to strengthen support for adult victims/survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence, and their families and whānau.
We want to visit currently contracted sexual violence service providers from late July to talk about the Budget announcement. This will be an opportunity to reflect on what has been working well, what you might like to see change, and discuss the opportunities available with increased investment. We will be in touch with providers to arrange visits.
If you are not a currently contracted provider but are a part of the sexual violence sector and interested in contributing to this discussion, please get in touch with us. Email us at CI_Sexual_Violence_Services@msd.govt.nz and we can arrange the details.
Initial focus of the Budget funding
Of the $90.3m funding, $11.7m has been allocated to the 2019/20 financial year. The focus of this funding will be to ensure service continuity for victims/survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence.
Funding for existing services will be allocated to providers in 2019/20 following the same way it was previously allocated, subject to providers maintaining contract and accreditation requirements.
The allocation of funding for kaupapa Māori specialist sexual violence services in 2019/20 is still to be determined.
Contracted sexual violence service providers should have received information from their Partnering for Outcomes contract manager about the initial impact on their contracts. If you have any questions, please contact your contract manager in the first instance.
Find out more about the new funding
Whānau Resilience regional presentations underway
In our last newsletter, we let you know we’d finished shortlisting providers who expressed interest in helping to design and deliver new Whānau Resilience services.
These are services that focus on long term healing and recovery interventions, strengthening whānau to live free from violence and help our communities thrive.
It brings with it a new funding model and approach. Instead of nationally designed services that prescribe the work needing to be done, the change will see providers funded to co-design, then deliver services created by the region, for the region.
Second stage of progress
We are now underway with stage two of the process. This involves shortlisted providers participating in regional presentations being held between May and August.
The first of these regional presentations has started, with providers from the Tasman and Canterbury regions participating in an open presentation to a panel, and their peers.
“To get to this stage is a big achievement,” says Edwina James, Team Leader, Community, Partnerships and Programmes.
“We have had a huge response from providers wanting to be part of this new initiative, and the calibre and quality has been incredibly high.
“Inevitably there are providers who have missed out. But this is about long-term change, and the nature of this new approach means that it will be really important for the providers who are participating to talk to organisations in their communities to understand the needs and strengths of their regions.
“That gives everyone the opportunity to have input into the development of solutions and work together to help break the intergenerational cycle of violence and help our communities thrive.”
Find out more about Whānau Resilience
The initiative supports the wider cross-government Joint Venture to prevent and reduce family violence and sexual violence.
Pouwhakataki roles now on GETS
Do you have a passion for ora tika – love for your community – and want to see it thrive?
This is a reminder that MSD is seeking registrations of interest from people for the roles of Pouwhakataki/Community Connectors (previously known as Kairaranga).
As a Pouwhakataki, you will lead, connect and support providers in your local and regional community to co-design Whanau Resilience services.
If you are interested, you can find our more and register through the Government Electronic Tenders Service. The closing date is this Thursday, 13 June 2019.
Find out more about Whanau Resilience
Fernhill analysis of sexual violence services completed
We have now received the final report and recommendations from the analysis of sexual violence services undertaken by Fernhill Solutions Ltd.
We commissioned the analysis to understand what the full sexual violence landscape looks like – this includes organisations and services not currently funded by MSD – and what the capacity of the current workforce is.
This work is different from the ongoing evaluation of sexual violence services and did not include an analysis of how each individual service operates.
The Fernhill report includes a number of recommendations:
- Strategic partnering – building strategic collaborations with all stakeholders including funders, professional bodies, associations, NGOs and others to achieve shared outcomes for clients, their families and whānau.The current workforce is unable to meet the growing demand for services, and as a result people have to wait for services.
- Co-design services – drawing value from long-term strategic relationships alongside hearing and understanding the voice of the client, their family and whānau, service providers and strategic partners to design flexible services that are based on evidence and experience.The current market is working to capacity across all funders.
- Ensure adequate funding – recognise the true costs of delivering cross agency services and ensure that services are financially sustainable without putting undue additional pressure on service providers to ‘top up’ their funding.
- Identify fit for purpose service delivery models – evidence-based programmes and learning from one another through evaluation, capability building and honest feedback.
- Engage the workforce – to ensure that their voices are heard and understood.
- Reach hard-to-reach populations – working closely with these communities to identify their specific needs which can lead to innovative solutions to address lack of service coverage.
- Implement integrated, cohesive reporting mechanisms – best practice service design and delivery, with measurable funding outcomes, and standardised reporting to be able to accurately support and target service delivery.
Over the next few months we will continue our work with stakeholders and the sector to consider these recommendations alongside other research (such as recommendations from the work to improve support for the sexual violence sector) in the development of future work programmes.
Further updates will be provided in upcoming newsletters.
Gap in sexual violence post-crisis care
In September last year we highlighted the gap in service provision for many victims/survivors of sexual violence after they have accessed crisis support services.
This gap was identified by providers through both Malatest International’s external evaluation, and our own consultation with several providers. We said that after consulting with a small number of providers to explore this gap further we would share back what we found.
A common experience reported by providers was the requirement to ‘hold’ victims/survivors in their services until they reached independence, or until they can access support through the Integrated Services for Sensitive Claims (funded by ACC) or another appropriate agency.
Key theme of post-crisis care and recovery
A key theme of post-crisis care and recovery is the need for time and resourcing for providers to:
- work holistically with the victim/survivor to ensure practical needs are met e.g. financial support, housing, transport
- advocate on behalf of victims/survivors and engage with other services e.g. Work and Income case managers, GPs, mental health
- work with families, whānau and communities to educate and strengthen support networks around the victim/survivor.
Download the Sexual Violence Post-Crisis Care and Recovery consultation summary (PDF 523.81KB)
Additionally, MSD’s Research and Evaluation team has completed a Rapid Evidence Review summarising the available evidence on the types of post-crisis care and recovery support services that are effective in helping survivors of sexual violence.
Download the Rapid Evidence Review (PDF – 510.76KB)
We will continue to explore this area further to better understand the support survivors need.
Next phase of changes to Family Violence Acts
The second phase of changes to the family violence laws take effect on 1 July.
The Family Violence Act 2018 and the Family Violence (Amendments) Act 2018 improve the legislative framework for family violence by giving priority to the safety of victims, including children, and preventing perpetrators from inflicting family violence.
The new legislation is part of the Joint Venture work programme to transform the response system for victims and perpetrators of family and sexual violence in New Zealand. The Joint Venture leads and coordinates the family violence and sexual violence work programme across 10 government agencies.
Phase one took effect in December last year and strengthened criminal law. Three new family violence offences were introduced: Strangulation/Suffocation, Assault on a Person in a Family Relationship, Coerced Marriage or Civil Union.
Other changes in phase one made it easier for victims to give evidence by a video recording made before a court hearing and give priority to victim safety when deciding to grant bail.
Further measures to strenthen family laws
Phase two brings in a range of other measures to strengthen family laws:
- making improvements to court orders to keep victims safer and hold perpetrators to account
- giving greater emphasis to coercive and controlling behaviour in the legal definition of family violence
- providing principles to guide decision making
- giving family violence offences greater visibility in the courts
- removing legal barriers to information sharing between agencies to increase victims’ safety
- identifying Family Violence Agencies.
From 1 July the Family Violence Act 2018 replaces the Domestic Violence Act 1995.
A third phase of implementation will embed two longer-term changes. These are:
- Increasing support for people bound by a Police Safety Order (PSO). Testing of a risk assessment process for people bound by a PSO concludes in August 2019 and will then be rolled out.
- The Family Court will be able to direct respondents to Protection Orders, through an assessor, to a wider range of services, such as social services. This will be included in the conditions of a Protection Order and is in addition to attendance at a non-violence programme.
Find out more information about the changes
Child and family research funding avaliable
Are you a social services provider with some research capability, or do you have an idea for a research project that you could partner with another organisation to deliver?
Each year MSD awards up to $750,000 to policy-relevant research projects that explore and analyse the data gathered by the Growing Up in New Zealand (GUiNZ) study, the largest longitudinal study into child development and growing up in 21st century New Zealand.
Applications are open to academics, public and independent research organisations, government agencies, and non-government organisations including iwi-based organisations and service providers.
This year we have introduced a second category of funding to support researchers new to the GUiNZ data. Two categories of funding are available:
- Standard research grant: Up to $125,000 per proposal. Projects will demonstrate strong research capability, experience with working with longitudinal data.
- New user grant: Up to $50,000 per proposal. Projects must be led by a principal investigator who has not previously conducted research using GUiNZ data.
Each project will require collaboration with a policy agency to ensure alignment to current policy needs and advice.
“Collaborations between groups are encouraged, and joint working relationships between relevant policy agencies and researchers expected so that we get richer research insights and more comprehensive analyses of how we can improve the wellbeing of New Zealand children and their families,” says Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni.
Read the Minister’s media release
Apply for funding and learn more about the fund
If you have any queries, about sexual violence service development, please contact us at CI_Sexual_Violence_Services@msd.govt.nz. For queries about the family violence work programme, please contact us at Family_Violence_CPP@msd.govt.nz
By Ministry of Social Development
12 June 2019
Lawyer loses confidence in state care abuse inquiry
A lawyer who represents people who were abused while in state care says she has lost confidence in the Royal Commission.
Sonja Cooper says the Commission has been holding ‘mock’ or ‘pilot’ sessions with abuse survivors ahead of the official hearings.
Ms Cooper represents about 1400 complainants. She tells Corin Dann that the mock sessions could be traumatising and she would be cautious about recommending her clients to participate in the Commission.
By Morning Report
Published in Radio New Zealand
10 June 2019
Royal Commission’s ‘mock’ sessions with survivors
Survivors of abuse in state care have been blindsided by the Royal Commission investigating their treatment holding ‘mock’ interviews with them about their experiences as a practice run ahead of formal proceedings of the inquiry.
The meetings have involved more than 40 of the survivors and some did not understand that their sensitive contributions were part of a pre-inquiry ‘pilot’ by the commission which will not be included as evidence.
Published in Newsroom
From the Chairman’s desk, June 2019
Kia ora koutou
As we close out another successful financial year there is much to reflect on and much to celebrate. We have come a long way since we formed Male Survivors Aotearoa over five years ago. With six member-organisations supporting more than 1,000 men across Aotearoa we are now recognised as the official and authentic voice of New Zealand’s male survivor community both throughout Aotearoa and abroad.
Phillip Chapman, MSA Chair
‘My art is my salvation’
A former Dunedin man abused by two different offenders within the Catholic Church says a love of art has helped him heal.
Michael Haggie, who now lives in Whanganui, has returned to Dunedin to open a new exhibition of his artwork, “The Active Image”, at Moray Gallery.
Published in Otago Daily Times
Male sexual abuse advocate honoured for work with fellow survivors
Opening up about being raped as a 12-year-old saved Ken Clearwater from killing himself or somebody else.
Since first publicly sharing his own story nearly 30 years ago, Clearwater has helped countless males all over the world get the support they need to survive their experiences of sexual abuse.
He has now become an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for this work.
Published in Stuff
Abuse survivors outraged it took 15 years to defrock paedophile priest
Survivors of sexual abuse say they are outraged it took more than 15 years to defrock a paedophile priest after he was convicted.
Former Dunedin priest Magnus (Max) Murray has been removed from the priesthood following a formal church judicial process.
This was after he pleaded guilty to sexual offending against four boys between 1958 and 1972.
While some have welcomed the defrocking, others say it’s too little and too late.
Published in Radio New Zealand
Abusive priest is defrocked
Victims of a paedophile priest from Dunedin are breathing a sigh of relief as 50 years of torment finally comes to an end.
Bishop of Hamilton Steve Lowe yesterday confirmed Fr Magnus Murray had been laicized – or defrocked – by the Vatican, stripping him of his priestly title.
The announcement ended a judicial process running since February last year, and was believed to be just the second time a Catholic priest from New Zealand had been defrocked over sexual offending.
Published in Otago Daily Times
Otago men to assist commission
Four Otago men who survived sexual abuse or physical violence while in care have been included in a new Survivor Advisory Group to help guide a pending Royal Commission.
The group of 20 men and women making up the new group was unveiled yesterday, representing survivors of abuse in state care and faith-based institutions.
They would help guide the work of the pending Royal Commission into historic abuse, which was expanded last year to include both state and faith-based institutions.
Published in Otago Daily Times
Hundreds of millions promised to ‘break the cycle of family and sexual violence’
The Government will spend $320 million on a package of initiatives aimed preventing family and sexual violence and breaking the cycle of violence.
The pre-Budget announcement is, according to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern the largest ever Government spend on family and sexual violence and support services.
She said today’s announcement formed the “cornerstone” of the upcoming Wellbeing Budget.
The money will deliver more support services delivered to more New Zealanders, major campaigns aimed at stopping violence occurring and major changes to court process to reduce the trauma victims’ experience.
Published in NZ Herald
Ministry of Social Development newsletter – Family Violence and Sexual Violence Service Provider Update
Family Violence and Sexual Violence Service Provider Update – Special Budget Edition
Kia ora koutou,
Welcome to this special Budget edition of our newsletter. In this update you’ll find information about:
- Overview of Wellbeing Budget’s Joint Venture package
- Increase in funding for specialist sexual violence services
- Funding boost for family violence prevention initiatives
- Funding to improve the response to family violence
Published in Family Violence and Sexual Violence Service Provider newsletter
Brutal lesson: story of abuse by Dunedin nun
A dying Dunedin man tells Chris Morris his story of a savage beating he received as a 10-year-old ‘‘cheeky little Catholic boy’’ at the hands of a nun.
Russell Butler is in a race against time.
The 63-year-old South Dunedin resident and practising Catholic has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and recently received the Last Rites from a priest.
Published in Otago Daily Times
Pope decrees bishops must be directly accountable for sex abuse or cover-ups
Pope Francis issued a landmark decree on Thursday making bishops directly accountable for sexual abuse or covering it up, requiring clerics to report any cases to Church superiors and allowing anyone to complain directly to the Vatican if needed.
Tackling sexual abuses that have battered the Catholic Church’s reputation has been a major challenge for Francis since his 2013 election, with victims demanding a crackdown on bishops at the diocese level accused of concealing or mismanaging cases.
Published in Better Blokes
Government sets out how it will respond to historical state abuse inquiry
Minister for State Services Chris Hipkins said he would lead the Crown’s response to the inquiry.
Setting out the principles was an important step in rebuilding trust between the government and those abused while in state care, he said.
“This is an incredibly important matter. The government is determined to take action in a transparent, coordinated and timely way to ensure such wide scale abuse over such a long period can never be allowed to happen again.”
Published in Better Blokes
Three brave male survivors of childhood sexual abuse speak about what they endured, and how they are healing
The Harvey Weinstein saga exposed an ugly side of our culture. TVNZ’s Sunday hears from some male victims.
Watch the video on the TVNZ website.
By Sunday (1 News now)
Published in TVNZ 1 News Now
17 Sept 2018
Report criticises Govt underfunding of sexual violence support and prevention
Government underfunding leaves organisations supporting victims of sexual violence to fundraise millions to stay afloat, a new report has found.
On Tuesday, Action Station released its report, For the Wellbeing of New Zealanders, which found there was a multi-million difference between the needs of support agencies and the amount of Government funding they received.
Of the 38 agencies examined, the Government paid a total of $24.7 million, yet the total expenditure of agencies was $31.7m – leaving a gap of $7m.
Report co-author Laura O’Connell Rapira said at least $10m in this year’s Budget was needed.
Published in Stuff
Japan Catholic Church to begin investigating sex abuse allegations
The Catholic Church in Japan is preparing to investigate allegations of sexual abuse against minors by its priests, including accusations from 20 years ago, officials said Thursday.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Japan said it has established a committee in each diocese to take claims and consultations related to sexual abuse but details of an investigation haven’t been decided.
Published in Japan Times
Nearly 8,000 Alleged Child Abusers Identified In Boy Scouts’ Files, Review Finds
An expert hired by the Boy Scouts of America to review allegations of child sexual abuse within the organization identified 7,819 alleged abusers among its leaders and volunteers dating back to 1944, according to a newly released court document.
Of the files examined over five years, 12,254 alleged victims were identified, Dr. Janet Warren, a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia’s medical school, testified in late January.
“They’re called ineligible volunteer files and these are files that [the BSA] created. Individuals who have had their registration with the Boy Scouts revoked because of reasonable allegations of child sexual abuse,” Warren told the court.
Published in Huff Post
Male survivors and victims of abuse deserve their own support system
Last month, the remarkable documentary Abused by My Girlfriend showed BBC viewers the depths of suffering that can be experienced by male victims of intimate violence. Alex Skeel was beaten, tortured and psychologically abused so severely that when police finally intervened, he was described by doctors as being just days from death. Last year, his partner Jordan Worth became the first woman to be convicted of coercive control domestic abuse and was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. When he was finally rescued after years of torment, Skeel was only 22.
Published in The Guardian
‘I know I’ll never see justice’: Man speaks out about being raped in the army showers
Graphic warning: This content may be distressing for some readers.
Terry King, 65, was gang-raped in the Burnham Military Camp showers in 1975. He has told his harrowing story for the first time as part of CTV’s Challenge the Silence series.
Terry King stood naked while the blood ran down his legs. It flowed into the water before heading towards the drain of the army showers.
The 21-year-old looked up and saw two regimental police also staring at the blood.
Published in New Zealand Herald
‘Brutalised inside and then I had to live with that shame’
This story discusses graphic details of a violent nature.
Two sexual abuse survivors from Burnham Military Camp near Christchurch have spoken publicly about the horrors they endured.
Published in Radio New Zealand
Using Peer Support in Developing Empowering Mental Health Services (UPSIDES): Background, Rationale and Methodology
Peers are people with lived experience of mental illness. Peer support is an established intervention in which peers offer support to others with mental illness. A large proportion of people living with severe mental illness receive no care. The care gap is largest in low- and middle-income countries, with detrimental effects on individuals and societies. The global shortage of human resources for mental health is an important driver of the care gap. Peers are an under-used resource in global mental health.
By Bernd Puschner, Julie Repper, Candelaria Mahlke, Rebecca Nixdorf, David Basangwa, Juliet Nakku, Grace Ryan, Dave Baillie, Donat Shamba, Mary Ramesh, Galia Moran, Max Lachmann, Jasmine Kalha, Soumitra Pathare, Annabel Müller-Stierlin, Mike Slade.
The Male Survivors Partnership Hosts Inaugural Symposium
The Male Survivors Partnership (MSP), a national umbrella agency for organisations working with boys and men affected by unwanted sexual attention, has held its inaugural symposium in Manchester.
Published in Male Survivors Partnership
Social media firms to be penalised for not removing child abuse
New laws proposed to tackle social media companies streaming child abuse, extremism, terrorist attacks and cyberbullying have been welcomed by senior police and children’s charities.
Launched on Monday, the Online Harms white paper outlines what the government says are tough new laws for internet companies and the ability to enforce them.
The white paper, which was revealed in the Guardian last week, will legislate for a new statutory duty of care by social media firms and the appointment of an independent regulator, which is likely to be funded through a levy on the companies.
Published in The Guardian
Call for Sir Anand to resign from commission
A survivor abused as an altar boy by a Catholic priest in Dunedin is adding his voice to fresh calls for the chairman of the royal commission into historic abuse to resign.
It emerged over the weekend Sir Anand Satyanand – a former governor-general and the chairman of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions set up on February 1, 2018 – had offered to step down after disclosing his Catholic faith.
Sir Anand had written to Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin on September 1 to inform her he was a practising Catholic, involved in the Catholic community and had known Bishops in “church and social settings”.
Published in Otago Daily Times
Concerns about abuse inquiry boss ‘shut down’ – survivor
The government’s historical abuse inquiry is being accused of shutting down questions about the Commissioners’ potential conflicts of interest over their religious affiliations. Christopher Longhurst who was abused at a Catholic school also says the inquiry is unsafe for victims and he wants nothing more to do with it. Late last month the commission posted on its website a process for handling conflicts of interest though it’s been meeting abuse survivors for months. Ann Marie May reports.
By Morning Report
Published in Radio New Zealand
8 April 2019
Minister refuses state abuse inquiry chair’s resignation amid conflict criticism
Sir Anand Satyanand offered to withdraw as head of the country’s largest ever state inquiry amid worries about a perceived conflict of interest because of his Catholic faith.
Documents obtained by Stuff show Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin rejected the former Governor General’s offer, instead asking him for a plan to combat any risk to the integrity of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and Care in Faith-Based Institutions.
Child abuse survivors are calling for Satyanand’s resignation offer to be accepted. They say his position risks tainting the inquiry’s credibility – already mired in setbacks.
Published in Stuff
Vatican tightens laws on sexual abuse of minors
The Vatican issued tougher, comprehensive laws Friday governing the sexual abuse of minors within the Vatican City State, Vatican offices and its diplomatic embassies abroad.
Pope Francis personally signed off on the new legislation that includes mandatory reporting of potential sexual abuse cases to Vatican authorities and the automatic dismissal of any employee found guilty of sexual abuse against minors.
The new laws also raise the statute of limitations for reporting a crime to 20 years following the 18th birthday of an alleged victim. The previous law was four years from the date of the alleged crime.
The move comes in the wake of the Vatican’s unprecedented summit last month in Rome to confront the Catholic Church’s clergy abuse scandal.
Published in CNN
Few male sexual abuse survivors seeking help after Leaving Neverland, support group says
Few male survivors of sexual abuse are seeking help in the wake of Leaving Neverland, Better Blokes says.
Philipe Eyton is the North Shore facilitator for the Auckland-based organisation, which works with male sexual abuse victims.
Eyton said the documentary #Mentoo, which screened on TV in 2018, encouraged some male viewers to seek help but Leaving Neverland, which detailed the alleged abuse of two boys at the hands of Michael Jackson, had little response.
Published in Stuff
‘Sins of the Cardinal & His Church’ full documentary
Cardinal George Pell, a member of the Pope’s Council of nine advisers, was convicted of child abuse in Australia and sentenced to six years in prison in March 2019. CNN’s Anna Coren meets the people vowing to bring the Catholic church and its abusers to justice.
Source: CNN Vision
Please Note: This video has content that may be traumatising if you have been affected by abuse in the catholic church
To view the video, please visit the CNN website (24 minutes).
By CNN Vision
Published in CNN
March 2019
Church, survivors sign agreement
A new agreement between the Catholic Diocese of Dunedin and a survivors’ support group could provide a national template for healing, both groups say.
Published in Otago Daily Times
Dame Susan Devoy: State child care may explain why so many Maori are in prison
Years ago in a small town a Maori boy was caught stealing lollies at the local four square. A report labelled him a ‘thug” and he was made a state ward. He was ten years old. Put in a boy’s home where he was physically and sexually abused, he ended up doing very long stretches in isolation. He’d spend months at a time in a single cell. While there his parents died. When he was let out he was sent to live with a series of strangers, some of whom sexually and physically abused him. He was to spend time in and out of prison. He was an old man by the time he made meaningful contact with his whanau again. By then he’d lost so many things: language, whakapapa, whanau, childhood.
Published in Human Rights Commission
Michael Jackson’s trick was to groom an entire culture
It was hard this week – watching R Kelly jump up and down on CBS while claiming his greatest problem was being “big-hearted”, and sitting through four hours of Michael Jackson revelations – to hang on to the idea that the truth has implacable meaning. In both cases, the sense of outrage from the accused parties (in Jackson’s case, his estate) was palpable and brought to mind another example of male-pattern entitlement: that of Brett Kavanaugh during his supreme court confirmation hearing.
Published in The Guardian
Landmark human rights case seeks to make Church responsible for abusive priests
The Anglican Church is facing a landmark case from a parishioner arguing it should be responsible for abusive priests – one of whom allegedly harassed her in counselling sessions after her baby’s death.
It will be the first time a New Zealand church has been tested as an employer under human rights law, and if successful could prompt wholesale changes in the hiring and training of ministers.
Published in NZ Herald
TVNZ urged to promote specialist helpline after Jackson film
An organisation for men who have suffered sexual abuse is urging TVNZ to air its helpline after it screens a new documentary on Michael Jackson.
Published in Radio New Zealand
10 Undeniable Facts About the Michael Jackson Sexual-Abuse Allegations
The author, who spent more than a decade covering the scandal for V.F., shares the key revelations and insights that viewers of the new HBO documentary Leaving Neverland need to know.
Published in Vanity fair
Family Violence and Sexual Violence Service Provider Update
Kia ora koutou,
Welcome to our newsletter which provides news about the Ministry of Social Development’s work programme to strengthen family violence and sexual violence services.
Published in Ministry of Social Development
Abuse inquiry’s scope wider
New Zealand’s pending royal commission into historical abuse will include the actions of predator priests who targeted children in family homes, on day trips and in other out-of-church settings, it has been confirmed.
The outcome, announced yesterday, has been praised by survivors advocate Liz Tonks and the Catholic Bishop of Dunedin, the Most Rev Michael Dooley.
Ms Tonks, a spokeswoman for the Network of Survivors of Abuse in Faith-based Institutions and their Supporters, told ODT Insight she was delighted by the news.
Published in Otago Daily Times
Child sexual abuse inquiry scope clarified
Priests who abused children in their own homes will be included in a Royal Commission into historical sexual abuse.
The move is being described as a change-in-scope by advocates but the Royal Commission says it is only a clarification of the exiting scope.
After the Government bowed to pressure and added abuse in faith-based institutions to the Royal Commission, victims and survivors were concerned the scope was too narrow, because it only looked at abuse in bricks-and-mortar institutions.
Published in Stuff
Cardinal Dew’s claim met with criticism from abuse victims
One of New Zealand’s most senior Catholic clergy has clashed with abuse victims over his claim bishops have no powers to remove predatory members of religious orders from their dioceses.
Wellington’s Cardinal John Dew is still in Rome after attending a critical four-day Vatican summit on clerical child sex abuse, which finished this morning.
The 22-25 February meeting was billed by the Vatican as the beginning of a worldwide series of reforms.
Published in Radio New Zealand
Abuse expert: Catholic bishops risk losing all credibility
The Catholic Church has set up a new body to liaise with the Royal Commission’s abuse inquiry, but its make-up has raised questions over its capacity to deliver truth.
A leading world expert on clerical child sex abuse told RNZ that if Te Rōpū Tautoko remained top-heavy with Church officials it would “only do the bidding of the bishops” and would have no credibility.
Published in Radio New Zealand
A Catholic University Is Hosting an Art Show That Confronts the Church’s Sex Abuse Scandal
Church was a refuge for Trina McKillen when she was young. Growing up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during “the Troubles” of the 1960s and ’70s, her neighborhood was a hotspot for political violence. When bomb scares threatened her elementary school, McKillen and her classmates were led into a nearby church for safety.
Published in Los Angeles Magaazine
Kiwi man’s powerful haka at Vatican challenges Catholic Church’s child sex abuse
Warning: This article and accompanying video contain details about child abuse that may disturb some readers.
A heartfelt haka briefly took centre stage during protests on the final day of the Pope’s summit on child sex abuse.
Hundreds of Catholic Church leaders participated in the summit – but abuse survivors say they’ve been excluded and claim nothing’s changed.
Published in Newshub
Horrific story of male abuse ends with ill informed newspaper recommendation for men to seek help from inappropriate organisations
WARNING: Distrubing content:
A UK man who was violently assaulted, stabbed and burnt by his abusive girlfriend has revealed for the first time the extent of his horrific injuries in a documentary.
Alex Skeel, 22, was “days from death” when police arrived at his home in June 2017. This led to an investigation and the arrest of Jordan Worth, who was the mother of his two children.
Worth was the first female in the UK to be convicted of controlling or coercive behaviour and grievous bodily harm.
Published in NZ Herald
Data breach and delay: survivors lose faith in New Zealand’s landmark child abuse inquiry
A year after it was announced – and more than a month after it was scheduled to begin – there has been little action.
Abuse survivors are beginning to lose faith in New Zealand’s nascent royal commission after months of poor communication, delay, at least one privacy breach and one survivor’s details being lost twice.
In February 2018 the New Zealand government announced it would hold a royal commission or judicial inquiry into abuse in state care, which it said would begin in January 2019.
Published in The Guardian
Sex crimes against boys: Auckland rugby coach Alosio Taimo sentenced to 22 years in jail
An Auckland rugby coach found guilty of 95 charges of sexually abusing young boys has been sentenced to 22 years’ jail.
Alosio Taimo, 56, will serve a minimum imprisonment period of 10 years for crimes committed across three decades against boys aged between 9 and 16 at the time.
Today in the High Court at Auckland, Crown prosecutor Jasper Rhodes argued for Taimo to be sentenced to preventive detention due to the seriousness of and his denial of the offending.
“We cannot say that his risk will be reduced at any point in the future.”
Published in NZ Herald
Man falsely accused of rape backs call for Blenheim’s first men’s refuge
A man tied up in a false rape claim has backed a call for a men’s refuge after he was kicked out of his flat and left homeless for a week.
Brett, who has asked for his last name to be kept secret, says he had nowhere to go after his ex-girlfriend reported a rape that never happened, and rumours began to spread.
Since speaking about how the allegation “destroyed” his life, Brett has thrown his support behind a call for an agency to support men, similar to Women’s Refuge.
Published in Stuff