Child abuse - help flows in as nation says 'no more!'

By PATRICK GOWER and STACEY BODGER

For weeks, the haunting pictures have stared at us from newspapers and television screens - little children battered, bruised and tortured to death.

But the number of New Zealanders standing up to stop the killings has this week grown into a flood.

Yesterday, it was announced that schools will be the next group required to report suspected child abuse.

And TVNZ gave the Safe & Sound Appeal a big boost by pledging $1 million of free airtime over the next six months to promote the appeal, which will pay for specialist centres to deal with child abuse.

The TVNZ move followed the endorsement of the appeal in yesterday's Herald by Xena - Warrior Princess star Lucy Lawless and TV One newsreader Liz Gunn, who have joined others in a group to fight child abuse.

The specialist centres will bring together under one roof all the different community agencies to stop the abuse.

It will start with a centre near Auckland's Starship hospital, but yesterday's announcement means the multi-agency system could go nationwide.

The appeal followed a damning report by Children's Commissioner Roger McClay, who found that lack of communication between health and welfare agencies contributed to the death of 4-year-old James Whakaruru, who was beaten to death by his stepfather.

TVNZ chief executive officer Rick Ellis said the company wanted to use its influence to help drive home the message that "something can and is being done about child abuse."

Lawless said the Safe & Sound action group she helped found two days ago was overwhelmed by the response of New Zealanders wanting to help the plight of abused children.

She said they were moved to action after reading an article in the Herald about 3-year-old Tangaroa Matiu, beaten to death for soiling his pants.

"It was just one in a long line of stories about child abuse.

"As I sat there crying into my cornflakes, I realised I had to translate my pain into action. By not taking action I felt complicit in the crime."

On Sunday, hundreds of Carterton residents took to the streets to protest against abuse. A week earlier, 600 people marched through Hamilton.

Social Services Minister Steve Maharey yesterday announced that schools would be required to report suspected child abuse directly to Child, Youth and Family Services.

ACC has already given CYFS the names of 236 children who have each been subjects of more than 10 accidental injury claims in the past five years.

Mr Maharey said protocols requiring mandatory reporting directly to CYFS by schools were imminent.

Training in abuse detection would also be offered to teachers.

Principals Federation president Geoff Lovegrove said the federation fully supported mandatory reporting, but safeguards were needed to protect against misreporting or malice.

Mr Lovegrove said schools were already required to have policies for dealing with suspected child abuse.

But Vauxhall Primary School principal Maggie Twaddle warned that teachers with training to recognise abuse could become paranoid and "see things that weren't there."

Editorial: Enough talk, now let's do something

Herald Online feature: violence at home

Donations to the Safe and Sound Appeal can be sent to PO Box 91939, Auckland Mail Centre

Free phone: 0800 946 010