Up to a quarter of a million children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in New Zealand’s faith-based and state care institutions in the past several decades, a public inquiry revealed on Wednesday.
An interim report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse of children in state care estimated that up to 256,000 people were abused between 1950 and 2019.
This accounts for almost 40 percent of the 655,000 people in care during that period.
“The hurt and anguish that has been caused in New Zealand’s history is inexcusable,” said Minister for the Public Service Chris Hipkins, who described the report as a “difficult read”.