New Zealand offers national apology to people abused in care

New Zealand offered a historic national apology on Tuesday to hundreds of thousands of victims of abuse in state and faith-based care over the last 70 years.

New Zealand offered a historic national apology on Tuesday to victims and families of hundreds of thousands of young people and vulnerable adults who were subjected to physical and sexual abuse in institutions over the last 70 years.

The apology follows a report by a public inquiry in July that found some 200,000 children and vulnerable adults in state and faith-based care experienced some form of abuse from 1950 to 2019.

“It was horrific. It was heartbreaking. It was wrong. And it should never have happened,” Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said with around 200 abuse survivors and families watching on from the public gallery at Parliament in the capital, Wellington.

“Today, I am apologizing on behalf of the government to everyone who suffered abuse, harm and neglect while in care. I make this apology to all survivors on behalf of my own and previous governments.”

The government had completed or started work on 28 recommendations from the inquiry, the prime minister said, and will provide its full response early next year.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/new-zealand-offers-national-apology-people-abused-care-rcna179725

---