Statement From Children’s Commissioner RE: Children Involved In Occupation At Parliament
As Children’s Commissioner I want every mokopuna, every child, to be safe in all situations with the support of their whānau and communities. It is crucial every parent or caregiver considers the impact the ongoing situation at the Parliamentary occupation could have on their mokopuna, their children, who are present with them. While I support the rights of all people to lawfully protest I would ask them to consider whether their children should remain involved.
Oh how they take their time before speaking up. When Trevor Mallard turned the hoses on those protestors, where were these commissioners then ? To my knowledge only the police expressed any concern, and I did speak to police about it, which I doubt that any commissioner did. When Trevor Mallard decided to bombard little sleepers with loud music, was it so loud that it drowned out the voices of dismayed commissioners ? Or are they just rather slow thinkers ? Or waiting to see in which direction the wind blows ? Or is child abuse ok when it is a politician doing it ?