We need to look at our own bigotry
Few things are more heartbreaking than the forced separation of a child from its parent or parents. Even when such action is deemed necessary, the situation can be traumatic for all parties, the implications far-reaching. When mistakes are made, the hurt and harm is magnified.
The issue around how children are removed from their families by the state has come to the fore after an attempt by Oranga Tamariki — the Ministry for Children — to remove a week-old baby from its young mother in Hawke’s Bay hospital.
Mounting public concern and political pressure have sparked several inquiries into the case and the practice in general — one by the Children’s Commissioner, and an internal inquiry by Oranga Tamariki itself.
Coming on top of similar investigations, namely the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faithbased Institutions, and a significant review of the justice system, this risks a disjointed approach.
However, if the reports provide a broader, more indepth overall picture, that is welcome.
It is vital all ministries, departments and agencies tasked with care, protection and justice — particularly of our most vulnerable children — are not abusing their powers. The public must have full confidence in staff and systems alike.
No doubt Oranga Tamariki is damned if it does intervene, damned if it doesn’t. The roll call of child deaths in this country is often laid at the feet of it and its predecessors.
Significant work is being done to address the failings. Oranga Tamariki was born after a complete overhaul of Child, Youth and Family in response to a governmenttasked expert panel’s recommendations around state care reform. It has been acknowledged there is more work to do.
There must be an uncomfortable but unflinching look at the extent to which institutional and unconscious bias or outright racism drive state policies such as Oranga Tamariki’s “uplifting” of children.
The Christchurch mosque attacks may have spurred the powerful and unifying “This is not us” catchcry but, until we acknowledge that racism is a part of our underlying culture, we are destined to let history continue to repeat. Certainly, without brutal honesty, it is not going to be possible to enable the sort of transformational change this Government envisages Otherwise it will not be possible to expose the ugly truths we would still prefer to veil in platitudes, to begin to turn around the generations of hurt, misunderstanding and mistakes or to undertake meaningful actions, implement real change and enable reconciliation to occur.
Inevitably, more shame and blame, hurt, and mistakes will come but that is no reason to stop trying. — NZ Herald