New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has formally apologized to victims of nursing home abuse, following an investigation into one of the country's biggest abuse scandals.
The historic apology, presented to Parliament, follows a report revealing that 200,000 children and vulnerable adults had suffered abuse while in state or religious care between 1950 and 2019.
Many of these included people from Māori and Pacific communities and people with mental or physical disabilities.
The government has since promised to reform the healthcare system.
“I apologize to all survivors on behalf of my own and previous governments,” Luxon said Tuesday.
“It was horrible. It was heartbreaking. It was wrong. And this should never have happened,” he added. “For many of you, this has changed the course of your lives and the government must take responsibility. »
The inquiry, which Luxon described as the largest and most complex public inquiry ever conducted in New Zealand, lasted six years and included interviews with thousands of survivors of abuse in public care institutions and confessional.
The subsequent report documented a wide range of abuses, including rape, sterilization and forced labor.
The study found that faith-based institutions often had higher rates of sexual abuse than public institutions; and civil and religious leaders fought to cover up abuse by moving abusers to other locations and denying culpability, with many victims dying before receiving justice.
The findings were seen as vindication for those who have found themselves confronting powerful official authorities, the state and religious institutions – and who often struggle to be believed.
The inquiry made more than 100 recommendations, including a public apology from New Zealand authorities and religious leaders, as well as legislation requiring reporting of alleged abuse.
Luxon said the government had finalized or was working on 28 of these recommendations and would provide a full response next year.
He also announced that the National Day of Remembrance would take place on November 12 next year to mark the anniversary of the apology delivered on Tuesday.
“It is up to all of us to do everything we can to ensure that abuses that should never have been accepted no longer happen,” he said.
