New Zealand asks for forgiveness for violence suffered in psychiatric hospitals and state homes

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon delivers “official and unreserved” apology to Parliament for widespread abuse, torture and neglect of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children and adults in Wellington, New Zealand ), on Tuesday November 12, 2024. ROBERT KITCHIN / AP The New Zealand Prime Minister asked forgiveness, Tuesday November 12, from the hundreds of thousands of people who were victims of violence while they were in the care of the State, and recognized the “unimaginable suffering” caused in children’s homes and psychiatric hospitals. Some 200,000 New Zealanders in vulnerable positions suffered this violence from the 1950s, according to a public inquiry, released in July, which described the phenomenon as an “unimaginable national catastrophe”. Caregivers attached to the Church sexually assaulted children, mothers were forced to give their children up for adoption and patients considered distressing underwent electroshock treatments, tied to their beds. Christopher Luxon, the head of New Zealand’s government, apologized on behalf of successive governments who turned a blind eye to these events. “I am sorry that no one believed you when you came to report” this violence, declared the leader in front of his country’s Parliament. “Some of you may think that my words are not worth much after so much time and suffering. But I hope that today, with this apology and acknowledgment of your burden, [celui-ci] will become a little lighter for some of you,” Mr. Luxon added. ‘Unimaginable suffering’ The prime minister cited the case of the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital in the rural north, the scene of unbeknownst sterilizations, unethical medical experiments and electroshock punishments. . “To those of you who were tortured at Lake Alice – young, alone, and subject to unimaginable suffering – I am deeply sorry. » Many victims have reported persistent trauma that may have led to addiction problems. According to the findings of the investigation, some of this violence was mixed with racism against the indigenous Maori people. Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers The New Zealand government sets the bar very to the right Read later “Once taken into care, the Maori survivors experienced harsher treatment” than the others, Arrun Soma said in July, principal consultant for these investigations. This work launched in 2018 issued 233 recommendations which the Prime Minister promised to examine. Le Monde with AFP Reuse this content



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