Spiritual Practices / Health

State care abuse: Concerns inquiry not broad enough

08:50 am on 5 February 2018

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While many are welcoming the government's announcement of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse in state care, others are concerned it will not hear the full story - nor will it stop future abuse. Last week the Prime Minister and the Minister for Children announced the draft terms of reference for the Commission. They said it would investigate abuse in state care in a fifty year period from 1950 to the end of 1999. They want to know why it happened and what the impacts were, particularly for Maori. At the moment it will only include those who the State had legal guardianship of or who were in state-run institutions - excluding many others. Liz Tonks is with the Network for Survivors of Abuse in faith-based Institutions NZ and she joins Susie Ferguson in the studio.