The Dompost reports that Key, Hide and Garrett weren’t available to make substantive comment on Garrett’s plan to sterilise people.
Smile and wave wouldn’t rule it out. Hide hid. Spokesperson made non comment. And big brave Garrett may have left the country again.
What a dopey idea – have three or four kids, decide you want a vasectomy and to get one free you have to beat up one of the kids.
But both smile and wave and jeckyl and hide wanted the focus group results before they were prepared to put their opinions into the public arena. Talk about being gutless wonders.
You have to be careful though, a parent of a friend was accused of abusing her when an acquaintance mistinterpreted what he saw. No such abuse ever occured but the father was investigated as a child molestor. What was seen? A tiff, nothing more.
That comment was about reporting, you just have to be so careful. I do strongly agree that children do need to know that there is someone they can go to if they need to get help.
Spud I agree.
We dont want witch hunts I agree.
But again we have to look at this as child centred NOT adult centred. I may get attacked for this but I would rather see one innocent parent/person wrongly accused and interviewed (not imprisoned) about potential abuse than 10 children abused.
This is why we need specialist agencies which include the police but are not solely the police. Experienced people who can talk with the parent of your friend, knowing what to ask and how to ask.
Even IF the parent of your friend was made to enrol in a parenting course, not as a molester, not with identified molesters but with other parents. The harm would be minimal against what would potentially be gained?
Mud sticks and it’s a terrible thing to put someone through. So sorry not convinced. What I do think is good is educational stuff directed at kids (yes those little goats that turn into humans in their teens) that talks about good touching and bad touching. And what you said about children knowing where to go for help.
Spud – we will have to agree to disagree. I wish someone had “falsely” accused my abuser.
I’m sorry you were abused, Tracey, and I hope all is well with you.
All good spud.
I obviously have a background, but I do believe I can see the wood for the trees. My legal training certainly helped me to see both sides of an issue. Funnily enough I wouldn’t change my life if I could go back simply because we are each the sum total of our experiences and where I am today is a good place to be. I don’t take disagreement personally. (hug)
This one is a tough one BUT we have tended to burying our heads in our hands when it gets too tough.
Accidents/tragedies will happen. The young child who drowned this week in a bath despite alot of family and state support. However, this childs death doesnt mean that part of the system is broken. It would be great for someone to issue Press releases tot he media about the success stories, of which there are many. Sadly our media seems to think we dont want to hear those.
Hug.
@ Spud: very few people are falsely accused so it is almost a non issue. Further, if you are a genuinely upstanding honourable person whose actions are by and large beyond disrepute, you are very rarely likely to be in a position where you are accused of beating or molesting a child. And I agree with Tracey – I value to the protection against 10 more children being abused than that of the rare person who is falsely accused. However, I believe in name suppression until AFTER the guilty verdict. If they are guilty and get off, well that means we have more to do in the community by way of zero tolerance of the abuse of our most vulnerable. Take the recent ‘pillow’ abuse case – turns out that that father had a history. Most of the time where there is smoke there is fire.
As for the bath drowning – while absolutely devastating for all concerned, there is a huge difference between that and the horror 27 of our children suffer in silence each day. Did either of you see this NZ herald article where CYFS confirmed they didn’t even know Nia Glassie existed before she died? http://www.nzherald.co.nz/child-abuse/news/article.cfm?c_id=146&objectid=10629760
Child abuse in this country is just so insidious and so deeply engrained. We have a world of things to sort out and it’s about time the government threw everything it had into addressing this issue.
@ Trevor I have emailed you a more formal response re my view on how best to combat child abuse. Thank you for your willingness to at least listen and validate what people like Tracey and I have to say.
@ Rebecca – sigh, you want to stoke up this argument again?
Being falsely acused is a terrible thing and there will always be people who believe it. I don’t believe in finger pointing without a damn good reason. I don’t want to argue with you about this, I’ve said my piece.
“Thank you for your willingness to at least listen and validate what people like Tracey and I have to say.” All of our opinions are valid.
Spud yes of course and apologies; apart from Tracey and a couple of others, I haven’t seen anyone post something where they actually offer solutions to combating child abuse.
I said education, that’s already being done, but still important. Mentors in the form of ex abusers, again already being done. Going now, reading about abuse is depressing.
Have a good day 
I agree with pre-verdict name suppression – 100%