Matamata Chronicle

The child victim toll must come down

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Moko Rangitoher­iri’s death provoked incensed citizens to march in the streets, demanding answers and accountabi­lity from the family, the community, and the authoritie­s.

Subjected to horrendous abuse from David Haerewa and Tania Shailer, Moko could never be called lucky.

But the public grief caused by his death means he will never be forgotten.

Many other child victims are denied a lasting legacy.

They are remembered only by those who knew them in their tooshort lives.

Children like Hail-Sage McClutchie from Morrinsvil­le, Kelly Gush from Hamilton or Winiata Matekino-Tokona from Tirau. We owe them more.

Our Faces of Innocents project, launched last year, created a public memorial to child victims of abuse, neglect or maltreatme­nt. It shined a light on one of this country’s most troubling ills, lest we forget.

Today, the project expands to commemorat­e more of the 209 children lost in the last 25 years and to introduce a new concept: the Child Victim Toll.

We cannot pretend that any one policy, community initiative, or even all the money in the world will stop all innocent children from dying.

But we can ensure this issue has an unflagging focus.

The Child Victim Toll is based on our database of every child victim since 1992.

Assembled and updated by our reporters, it is the first and only public source of its kind.

Last year, our database records 14 children who died. In 2009, the worst year on our record, the child victim toll was 17.

The toll is an imperfect measure.

Despite our extensive investigat­ions, some children will have escaped notice.

We have taken up the mantle of tracking this vital informatio­n.

We hope this toll will inspire more New Zealanders to act: to learn about the scale of the problem; to help children at risk; to support an agency working to prevent child abuse; and report any signs of possible abuse.

For Moko, and children like Hail-Sage McClutchie and Winiata Matekino-Tokona, and every child victim, we say: we must not accept an inexorable rise in the number of Faces of Innocents. The Child Victim Toll must come down.

For more informatio­n or ways you can be involved go to website, stuff.co.nz

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