Dark side of life for West Coast girls revealed

The report revealed some girls were having sex at age 11 or 12, and many had had pregnancy scares. File photo / Thinkstock

A hard-hitting report on West Coast girls has lifted the lid on inter-generational drug use, sexual abuse and even gang rape.

Girls of Concern, by Dr Donna Swift, was commissioned by WestREAP. The West Coast District Health Board has noted the release of the report and says a 'call to action' is being prepared.

The report defines 'girls of concern' as those struggling to reach their potential. Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted in 2013 involving 61 pre-teenage girls, 51 teenage girls, 10 young women and 35 adults representing government and non-government agencies, educational services and community interest groups.

The comments, which are only touched on here, are frank.

The girls told them some were having sex at age 11 or 12; many had pregnancy scares, and "heaps" had abortions.

"Half of the parents are doing drugs and they supply the kids," one girl said.

Some professionals felt girls were not referred to services early enough because attention goes to boys.

They noted an increase in girls' violence in the community, especially on weekends; gang rape of intoxicated girls; predators exploiting vulnerable girls whose parents did not care or will not respond because they fear retaliation, loss of drug supply or their own relationship.

"West Coast male is dominant; a patriarch. Many females have become masculinised to claim some power back," Dr Swift was told by one person.

She urged those reading the report to remember that alcohol may be part of a coping strategy to mask memories of painful experiences; and promiscuity may reflect familiarity with behaviour stemming from a history of sexual abuse or sexual exploitation.

"Remember that one in four girls in New Zealand experience sexual abuse," the report says.

A raft of recommendations are made, including:

* Equal opportunities to career development, economic activities and recreational

pursuits;

* Strategies to extend employment and recreational opportunities with nontraditional activities, work experience and female mentors;

* Strategies to extend girls' social networks to include peers not attending the same school, or in the same age set;

* Strategies to dilute the pressure placed on females by the entertainment industry;

* The community should be encouraged to enforce its intolerance of illegal practices by not partaking or facilitating girls' access to alcohol;

* Strategies to address the needs of girls of concern must include changes in male attitudes towards females.

"With the use of innovation and co-operation, the workplace, the pub and the playing field might provide an opportune 15 minutes to convey important messages that may catch the ear of a struggling parent and make life easier for a girl of concern," the report says.

The report has been noted on the DHB agenda, which says it is being prepared for wider distribution "with an accompanying call to action to seek input from stakeholders".