Headline: Green Party welcomes CPAG report
All children deserve good lives and a fair future, we need to invest in solutions that look after our most vulnerable children.
The Green Party welcomes the report which shows that reducing inequalities and focusing on both the family and the community are critical to reducing violence in children’s lives.
The Child Poverty Action Group today released the report “Child abuse: what role does poverty play?” showing how the Government is failing children by its focus on monitoring and reporting rather than addressing the causes.
“The link between poverty and child maltreatment is complex but ever present so it is critical that the causes of poverty are addressed as a key part of any plan to reduce violence against children,” said Green Party Co-leader Metiria Turei.
“Individuals who commit acts of violence against children must be held to account alongside proactive measures to stop poverty from exacerbating the risk to children.
“All children deserve good lives and a fair future, we need to invest in solutions that look after our most vulnerable children.
“There is no single answer to the issue of child abuse, but there are solutions based on sound policy and evidence. First, we must improve the housing, income, employment and the health of families. This is a critical community measure.
“At the same time, we need family violence prevention measures that address the fact that in most cases of child abuse there is intimate partner abuse occurring.
“This means we must have measures that protect the protective parent and not just focus on the child. If a child is living with violence, then so will other members of that family – a truly protective environment protects all the victims,” said Mrs Turei.
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