‘This is the worst of us’: Tova O’Brien on the Royal Commission into abuse in state care

Thursday, 25 July 2024

Stuff Chief Political Correspondent Tova O'Brien summaries Royal Commission's Abuse in Care findings.

OPINION: The abuse in state care inquiry is an indictment on everything that’s wrong with New Zealand - and everything we know is wrong with New Zealand.

The Royal Commission was necessary, the report critical, the testimonials of the thousands of courageous survivors and victims are invaluable and this had to happen but the overarching takeaway, if there can be one, is that these 3000 pages illustrate the worst example of what we know is broken in this country.

Racism, ableism, difference, disablism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia.

The inquiry tells us that our discriminatory attitudes devalued and dehumanised children, young people and adults in care.

Minister Erica Stanford pours over the pages of the Royal Commission into Abuse in State Care. The nearly 3000 pages in the books makes for harrowing reading.

It made it more likely for people in care to be abused and neglected and for that abuse and neglect to be justified by the abusers, witnesses and leaders of institutions.

Worse still, it made it easy for those people in care to be ignored and forgotten by the rest of us.

Sit with that for a minute. Let it marinade.

The Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in state care in New Zealand.

Because society ‘others’ our most vulnerable, because we discriminate against them, it made it more likely - and easier - to marginalise them further in the worst possible ways.

To rape and torture, to sexually, emotionally, physically and mentally abuse, to exploit and to neglect in the most severe and unimaginable ways.

And then to turn a blind eye, to ignore, to disbelieve.

And when you’ve processed that - if you can indeed process it - ask yourself how confident you are we can overcome this.

Ask yourself if you can see a time in your lifetime, in your town or city, in your whānau, in your community where racism, difference, ableism, disablism, sexism, homophobia and transphobia suddenly cease to exist.

Ask yourself if the next report or inquiry into whatever - be it justice, health, education, housing, employment, pay equity - you name it - will it tell us something different?

This is the worst of us. We know it because we’ve heard it before to varying degrees - though never quite like this.

The Royal Commission tells us that if we don’t address this injustice, it will remain a stain on our national character forever.