Statistics don't tell the whole story. Child abuse and neglect can be measured in many ways, but there's no getting away from the fact that it happens more in some population groups than in others.
This does not absolveindividuals from responsibility for their actions, but if we are interested in preventing child abuse we must also consider the social, economic and cultural conditions in which abuse occurs.
So how bad is it? In the 10 years from 1990 to 1999, 87 children under the age of 14 were the victims of homicide: 41 were Maori, 35 Pakeha, three Asian, two Indian, two Samoan and four other. Of the 95 offenders responsible for their deaths, 68 were male and 27 female.
In 21 cases the offender was the father, in 20 the stepfather or the mother's boyfriend or de facto partner. In 15 cases it was the mother, and in 15 a non-household member or stranger. The rest were other household members.
In the same period 1448 children under 15 were admitted to hospital with injuries from assault. In the 1999/2000 year, 26,588 children and young people under the age of 18 were notified to the Child Youth and Family Service for care or protection. Abuse or neglect was found in 9385 cases.
Surveys show that 3 to 4 per cent of New Zealanders have been physically abused during their childhood.
New Zealand's rate of child death from injury is high by comparison with most other developed countries.
Unicef figures show our death rates for under-14s are the fifth worst of 26 comparable countries. Our rate is 2 1/2 times Sweden's, 2 1/4 times Britain's and 1 1/2 times Australia's. We are about on a par with the United States and Poland.
