Family Integrity

Tag: Child Abuse

  • Woman arrested after baby assaulted

    Woman arrested after baby assaulted

    Stuff.co.nz

    A South Auckland woman has been arrested following an alleged assault on a five-month old baby last night.

    Police say they were called to a domestic at an address in Mangere at about 11.30pm.

    They say an ambulance was called as a baby had been assaulted.

    Police say a 28-year old female has been charged with assaulting a child and will appear in the Counties Manukau District court today.

    They say they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the matter.

  • Family First Welcomes Bill to Fix Smacking Law

    MEDIA RELEASE

    19 March 2009

    Family First Welcomes Bill to Fix Smacking Law

    Family First NZ is ‘stoked’ that ACT List MP John Boscawen has announced his intention to introduce a Private Members Bill to amend the anti-smacking law.

    “Our polling along with every other poll done over the past 3 years shows that approximately 80% of NZ’ers oppose this law – and for good reason,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

    “This flawed law has attempted to link a smack on the bottom with child abuse of the worst kind, and has put good parents raising law-abiding and responsible citizens in the same category as rotten parents who are a danger to their kids and to society in general.”

    “Not surprisingly, the child abuse rate has continued unabated with 12 child abuse deaths in the 21 months since the law was passed – the same rate as before the law was passed.”

    “Family First research has also shown that parents are hugely confused over the legal effect of the law. Parents have a right to know whether they are parenting within the law or not.”

    The 2007 UNICEF report on child wellbeing said “the likelihood of a child being injured or killed is associated with poverty, single-parenthood, low maternal education, low maternal age at birth, poor housing, weak family ties, and parental drug or alcohol abuse.”

    Family First is calling on National to adopt this bill as a government bill, to acknowledge the important and valued role of good parents, and to then target resources and effort at the real causes of child abuse.

    ENDS

    For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:

    Bob McCoskrie – National Director

    Mob. 027 55 555 42

  • Amendment To Fix Broken Anti-Smacking Law

    Amendment To Fix Broken Anti-Smacking Law

    Immediate Release: Thursday March 19, 2009

    ACT New Zealand MP John Boscawen today announced that he will introduce a Private Member’s Bill to amend the controversial Anti-Smacking law inflicted on New Zealanders by Labour and the Greens in 2007.

    “My announcement coincides with yesterday’s release of a poll that shows widespread support for the law to be altered,” Mr Boscawen said.

    “This poll, commissioned by Family First NZ and conducted by Curia Market Research, surveyed the views of 1,000 everyday New Zealanders – 83 percent of whom felt the law should be changed, with a total 77 percent of respondents believing the law would not help reduce our child abuse rates.

    “While addressing the concerns of those who felt that the original section 59 of the Crimes Act was too vague, my amendment to the law will protect from criminalisation those parents who use a light smack for the purpose of correction.

    “The amendment will change the Act so that: it is no longer a crime for parents or guardians to use reasonable force to correct children; there are clear statutory limits on what constitutes reasonable force; parents and guardians have certainty about what the law permits; it is no longer reliant on police discretion for the law to be practical and workable.

    “In an attempt to curb child abuse, this law has simply criminalised law-abiding parents and removed their freedom to decide how best to raise their children – something that ACT has consistently opposed.

    “The Labour we know best’ Government is out and National is now in.  Perhaps we will now begin to see an end to the madness of the past nine years – where politicians saw fit to tell New Zealanders how to live their lives,” Mr Boscawen said.

    ENDS

    Media Contact: Shelley Mackey, Press Secretary, 04 817 6634 / 021 242 785.

  • Infant to be buried today

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/2253294/Infant-to-be-buried-today

  • Child Abuse Death Rate Is Killing Us

    MEDIA RELEASE

    11 March 2009

    Child Abuse Death Rate Is Killing Us

    Family First NZ says that the police announcement of a homicide investigation into the death of Taupo five-week-old Jayrhis Ian Te Koha Lock-Tata is a tragic reminder that the rate of child abuse deaths has continued at the same rate as before the flawed anti-smacking law and we are failing to identify and tackle the real causes.

    “While good families are being investigated and thrown under suspicion because of the extremist anti-smacking law, child abuse has continued at the same rate and the same old underlying issues of drug and alcohol abuse, family breakdown and dysfunction, the presence of non-biological adults in the house, low maternal age, poverty and single parenthood continue to be downplayed,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

    “Before Bradford’s anti-smacking law was passed, there were an average of 7 child abuse deaths per year since 2000. Since the anti-smacking law was passed 20 months ago, there has been 12 child abuse deaths.”

    The ‘roll of horror’ of child abuse deaths includes 2 year old Jhia Te Tua, 16 month old Sachin Dhani, 22-month-old Tyla-Maree Flynn, 3 year old Nia Glassie, Ten-month-old Jyniah Te Awa, Two-month-old Tahani Mahomed, 3 year old Dylan Rimoni, 7-year-old Duwayne Pailegutu, 16-month-old Riley Osborne, 3-year-old Cherish Tahuri-Wright, and now little Jayrhis.

    “NZ’ers are sick of our leaders ‘fluffing’ around the real issues of child abuse,” says Mr McCoskrie.

    Family First has a 5 point Action plan to tackle child abuse – www.stoptheabuse.org.nz

    ENDS

    For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:

    Bob McCoskrie – National Director

    Mob. 027 55 555 42

  • Mum jailed for stabbing son

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4861032a11.html

    JOHN SELKIRK/Dominion Post

    ATTEMPTED INFANTICIDE: Kim Knoll has been jailed for three years for attempting to kill her young son, first with a boning knife and then with a pillow.

    Mum jailed for stabbing son

    By CLIO FRANCIS – Stuff.co.nz | Thursday, 26 February 2009

    Kim Knoll let out a small gasp as she was this morning jailed for three years for attempting to murder her young son.

    Knoll, 20, was overcome by tears when Justice Pamela Andrews handed down her sentence at the High Court in Auckland this morning.

    Crown prosecutor Ross Douche said the reasons behind why Knoll had stabbed her two-year-old boy with a boning knife would never fully be understood.

    “For whatever reason, and that is still not clear, she determined to take steps to end the life of her child,” Douche said.

    During the trial the Crown said that Knoll had also tried to suffocate her son with a pillow during the incident at their Te Aroha home in May last year.

    Only the arrival of Knoll’s brother interrupted her actions and saved the life of the child, Douche said.

    Defence lawyer Michael McIvor said his client now accepted she was responsible for her son’s injuries.

    “It’s only really now that this has happened and at the end of the day she’s accepted it.”

    He did not accept a probation officer’s report which said Knoll showed no remorse or empathy towards her son.

    “What she wants to do is be reunited with her child,” he said.

    Mr McIvor told the court that Knoll had a very supportive family.

    “This has been a huge setback for the family, who came out from South Africa for a better life,” he said.

    Justice Andrews said she had received a letter from Knoll’s parents.

    “They said you were always a loving and caring mother to Lashawn. Understandably they have found this whole matter very difficult and confusing.

    “None of them can believe that you were responsible for what happened.

    “You are his mother and he ought to be able to trust you completely,” she said.

    Justice Andrews said mitigating factors for Knoll’s sentence included her lack of previous convictions, her young age, her parental role, her traumatic background and the letter she had written expressing remorse.

  • Nursed babies less prone to abuse

    http://www.theage.com.au/national/nursed-babies-less-prone-to-abuse-20090126-7q0e.html?page=-1

    Nursed babies less prone to abuse

    • Julia Medew
    • January 27, 2009

    WOMEN who do not breastfeed their infants are nearly four times more likely to neglect and abuse their child, a world-first study of Australian women has found.

    The analysis of about 6000 Queensland mothers and their children also discovered that the longer a woman breastfeeds, the less likely she is to neglect or hurt her child.

    To reach their findings, researchers from the University of Queensland linked data from Australia’s largest longitudinal study tracking mothers and their children with substantiated reports of maltreatment recorded by the state’s child protection authorities.

    They found that of the 1421 women who did not breastfeed their children in the group, 102 women — or 7.2 per cent — neglected or abused their child in some way.

    This was compared to 4.8 per cent of the 2584 women who breastfed their baby for less than four months and just 1.6 per cent of the 2616 women who breastfed their baby for more than four months.

    Maltreatment included neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual assault. Neglect was the most common form identified in the study, but the prevalence of all types increased as the duration of breastfeeding decreased.

    When the researchers adjusted the statistics for 5890 cases to filter out the influence of other factors, they concluded that women who did not breastfeed were 3.8 times more likely to maltreat their child.

    For mothers who breastfed for less than four months, the risk was about 2.3 times that of women who breastfed for longer than four months.

    Lane Strathearn, author of the research due to be published in the journal Pediatrics next month, said the conclusions were bolstered by research linking breastfeeding to the release of oxytocin, a hormone proven to activate areas of the brain linked to maternal care and behaviour in animals.

    The physical bond created during breastfeeding, including eye contact, could also be a factor, he said.

    Dr Strathearn concluded that the promotion of breastfeeding could be a relatively simple and cost-effective way of strengthening the relationship between mothers and babies to prevent child neglect and abuse.

    “This overarching goal would be best accomplished by promoting parent education and long-term marital stability and by providing economic and social support for new mothers who choose to stay at home with their infants,” he said.

    Deputy Director of the Women’s and Children’s Health Research Institute in South Australia, Dr Maria Makrides, said people should not interpret the absence of breastfeeding or low rates as a direct cause of neglect and abuse. “I don’t necessarily think that by increasing the breastfeeding rate, we are going to wipe out neglect and abuse,” she said.

    Australian Breastfeeding Association president Querida David said the study was consistent with other research.

  • Baby deteriorates in hospital after alleged assault

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4830730a11.html

    Baby deteriorates in hospital after alleged assault

    Tuesday, 27 January 2009

    The health of the 10-week-old baby attacked at the weekend has deteriorated and it is now listed as critical, police say.

    A 28-year-old man is due to appear Lower Hutt District Court on Thursday charged with assault.

    Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Cooper said the baby was now in a “pretty serious” condition with a head injury and charges would likely be upgraded if the child died.

    Police have refused to say whether the accused is the baby’s father.

  • Another Child Abuse Death – Same Factors

    TRAGIC TOT: 16-month-old Riley Justin Osborne.

    MEDIA RELEASE

    28 December 2008

    Another Child Abuse Death – Same Factors

    Family First NZ says that the tragic child abuse death of 16-month old Northland boy Riley Osborne is more evidence of the key causes of child abuse which we are failing to acknowledge and tackle.

    “Report after report from both CYF and UNICEF and international research all confirm that children are most at risk where there is the presence of drug and alcohol abuse, family breakdown, the presence of non-biological adults in the house, low maternal age, poverty and single parenthood,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First.

    “This latest case shows a number of factors including drug and alcohol abuse, family breakdown, welfare dependency and low maternal age.”

    “We are missing actual child abuse because politicians and the Children’s Commissioner have confused the issue by treating parents who smack as child abusers, and told us that we should spend all our time and resources targeting them.”

    “Despite a 30% increase in CYF notifications in the last twelve months (yet a corresponding decrease in the number of cases requiring further action), the ‘roll of horror’ of child abuse deaths continues with cases including 2 year old Jhia Te Tua, 16 month old Sachin Dhani, 22-month-old Tyla-Maree Flynn, 3 year old Nia Glassie, Ten-month-old Jyniah Te Awa, Two-month-old Tahani Mahomed, 3 year old Dylan Rimoni, 7-year-old Duwayne Pailegutu, and now little Riley.”

    “The rate of child abuse deaths has continued unabated despite the passing of the anti-smacking law.”

    “Until we acknowledge drug abuse, our culture of alcohol abuse and the resulting harm, the role that family structure has on the safety of children, and the desparate need for better support and resources for new and especially young parents, we will never see progress in our battle against child abuse,” says Mr McCoskrie.

    “It’s time for the country to administer a ‘truth serum’ to the debate on child abuse rather than our ideologically flawed approach which has failed.”

    ENDS

    For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:

    Bob McCoskrie – National Director

    Mob. 027 55 555 42

  • Northland baby dies from head injuries – named

    http://www.stuff.co.nz/4802546a11.html

    Northland baby dies from head injuries

    Wednesday, 24 December 2008

    A 16-month-old baby rushed to Auckland’s Starship Children’s Hospital has died overnight from injuries police say were not accidental. He was Riley Justin Osborne

    The child was taken to Auckland from Kerikeri in Northland on Friday night for emergency surgery.

    Police said the injuries left the child blind and with brain injuries but in spite of specialist medical care, he died last night.

    His death was now being treated as a homicide and 17 police officers were working on the inquiry. A post mortem was due today.

    Earlier this week police confirmed that they had been called out previously to noisy parties at the house where the young boy lived. The child resided with his mother, 21, and her partner. Another person was also believed to live in the house.

    Police also said the boy’s birth father was “not in the picture”.

    The house on Cobham Rd, was in the same street where the body of slain teenager Liberty Templeman was found last month.

    The badly hurt infant was taken first to the Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa before he was flown to Auckland.

    The mother and other relatives were believed to have been at the boy’s hospital bedside and were spoken to by police.

    NZPA