放学后学童遭性虐待
工党呼吁国家党政府以孩子为重

 

因涉嫌放学后性虐待学童，北岛一名男子被控8项犯罪。工党呼吁国家党政府恢复“两人值班”制以保护学龄儿童身心健康。

国家党政府社会发展部长在2011年以削减开支为由，将“两人值班”制改为一人。工党一直警告国家党政府此举之危害性并敦促国家党以儿童身心健康为重。社会发展事务发言人苏•莫若妮（Sue Moroney） 呼吁社会发展部长立刻重审任何接受政府拨款的“课后活动”程序。“内阁文件清楚的表明，部长知道这样的课后活动“两人值班”对保护孩子十分重要。”尤其对单亲父母来说，她/他靠工作养家，孩子放学后交给别人看护，但看护孩子的是什么样的人很重要。无犯罪记录不是确保孩子不受骚扰的唯一方法，因为面对这样的犯罪，受害人通常不肯报案，而两人值班则可有效防止类似犯罪发生。
    
工党表示，“非常失望，国家党社会发展部长左手写绿皮书和白皮书大谈孩子们如何脆弱，而右手又放弃那些确实能保护孩子的有效办法。”
（详细内容，请见 Sue  Moroney  MP新闻发布原文）
Sue
MORONEY
Social Development Spokesperson                        
 
25 October  2013                                                    MEDIA STATEMENT 
After school abuse raises serious questions 
Serious questions must be asked, including whether enough staff were on duty, after a man was charged with abusing a child at an after school programme, said Labour's Spokesperson for Social Development, Sue Moroney.
 
Northland man, James Sanders has been charged with seven counts of sexual violation and indecent assault.
 
“This is a very serious case. It is horrifying to think that a young child has been put in such a vulnerable position. Parents need to know their children are safe when they are in care,” said Sue Moroney.
 
“Minister Paula Bennett must urgently review after school procedures. We warned she was putting vulnerable children at risk when she reduced the requirement that two staff be on duty in 2011, but she went ahead anyway.
 
“I call on her to reinstate the requirement for two staff to be on duty at all times in any after school programmes that receive any government funding.
 
"Cabinet papers show Paula Bennett knew that the requirement for two staff was an important child protection measure, but she was in a hurry to get sole parents onto job queues so she dropped the standard of care for children outside school hours.
 
“Police vetting isn't a foolproof method of preventing child abuse, as this type of offending often goes unreported. Having two staff on at all times is an important back-stop.
 
"It's disappointing that the Minister has been writing green and white papers about vulnerable children with one hand, while getting rid of important child protection matters with the other,” said Sue Moroney.