Abuse survivor pleads with public to wake up to child abuse

By RNZ’s Andrew McRae

A man who was in state care and based on faith wants the public to wake up to the historical abuse and worry that it may still be happening.

Daryl Smith, 57, was first cared for at the age of seven at Marylands School in Christchurch, which was run by the Catholic Order of St. John of God.

It later came to the attention of the state.

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Smith said countries are judged by how well they treat their children and New Zealand fails at this.

“I think it’s up to a village to raise a child and if you see something wrong with a child, you are supposed to say, ‘what is it?’

” You are supposed to protect a child, not go, I am not Catholic and it is not my problem or I was not under the care of the state, so it is not my problem. That is the attitude in this country and it must change.

“The moment you say it’s not your problem, you are the problem,” he said.

Smith is challenging the prime minister to clean up Oranga Tamariki, the Children’s Ministry.

“He needs to use the power of his little finger to fire the CEO and get rid of Oranga Tamariki and return him to Children, Youth and Family.”

No confidence in the system

He wants a large part of the Oranga Tamariki staff to go as well.

“We need to put survivors in jobs like this, trained survivors in jobs like this to work with this because we don’t trust the system, none of us do.”

Smith said survivors don’t just want lip service.

” I don’t want lip service from the New Zealand government or the churches or clubs in this country. I want them to start doing it. Now is the time.”

Smith said that all abuse victims in care need a direct apology and compensation that truly reflects what happened to them.

” The compensation they’ve already had is a laughing joke. ”

It supports the call of several other survivors for the establishment of an independent body to deal with the problems of abuse in care and to determine compensation.

” It cannot be administered by the Catholic Church or the government.

“Half of them have to be at least survivors on the panel, otherwise it’s just a waste of time.”

Smith will publish a second book in December about her experiences in caregiving.

– RNZ