You’ll remember the case of Malachi. I’m not going to go through the details again; sufficient to say it happened about four and a half, nearly five years ago, and it fired up public anger because of the number of times his wider family tried to warn authorities that something was going to happen—and yet he was not protected.
One of the recommendations the coroner has made today in her report is that Oranga Tamariki—OT, formerly CYFS—run a public awareness campaign to help people identify possible signs of abuse and understand how to take action.
To be fair to her, that idea isn’t new. It came from an earlier review. She’s simply pointing out that it still hasn’t happened, and is reiterating that the campaign should go ahead.
But really? Is that what we need in this country—a public campaign to tell us what child abuse looks like?
I think we all know what child abuse looks like. I struggle to believe that there are people who do not know that breaking a child’s bone is abuse. So isn’t this just the kind of thing well-meaning people suggest to make themselves feel like they’re doing something, when really it changes nothing—because maybe there’s very little you actually can do?
The problem in Malachi’s case wasn’t that people didn’t know what child abuse looked like. People did see the abuse. They absolutely recognised it as abuse. And they went to OT and said, “Hey, Malachi is being abused. Here’s the proof.” By my count, they did that about five times—if not more. And OT didn’t stop it.
That is the problem.
And it’s the problem in so many of these tragic cases. When a child dies, we often discover afterwards that OT already knew the family—and yet the child ended up dead anyway.
The problem isn’t that you and I don’t know what child abuse looks like. We do.
The problem is that the agency responsible for stopping it apparently doesn’t know what child abuse looks like—or at least doesn’t act when it sees it.
Never mind a public campaign. Fix that fundamental problem at Oranga Tamariki, and you might actually save a lot of lives.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show. This article was sourced from Newstalk ZB.
4 comments:
It isn't that OT doesn't know what abuse looks like. They don't want to know. Just look at the Moana case a couple of years ago. To OT it is more important that a child has a Maori caregiver than for a child to be safe, loved and nurtured. The social workers will lie to the court for that to happen, and senior judges will interfere with the court process to give "guidance" to ensure that happens as well.
Not to excuse OT, the most at fault here are the family who covered up and the Childcare agency who had the child in front of them(and who have been held accountable) That Barriball is Maori is a factor - so 'racist' not to believe her. This whole appalling saga needs to be given the full light of day - the more so as race appears to be a factor yet again.
Sadly, this is the same Govt dept that failed Tom Phillips and also the death of the Man, in Sanson, along with his children.
In both cases, with Tm Phillips, his 'trials/tribulations" can be traced to The Family Court, not sure about the Man in Sanson.
Interesting how our 'esteemed' NZ media at the time of both incidents, blew trumpets of column inches, TVNZ had 'exclusive at the scene info', but none accomplished a deep dive into 'fact & figures'.
Yet a Lawyer (Linda Clarke) in Wellington was able to gain a Court Injunction on matters pertaining to Phillips, for which ' a cloud of secrecy has prevailed'.
Ditto the Sanson incident.
Just a 'obscure' question' - "Can we blame OT for the sinking of a $6 mill Navy ship, the subsequent 'secret' Courts Martial"??
Well Judith Collins, is ensuring that 'secrecy' prevails. For OT & The Navy.
There's another fundamental problem involved with the Malachi Subecz case.
1. Oranga Tamariki staff (and other Public servants) seem to lack street smarts and fail to consider that many of the folk they deal with are accomplished liars.
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