Submitted by crinadmin on
[WELLINGTON, 21 August 2006] - New Zealand has a dark secret, an epidemic of domestic violence which has brought to life the wrenching story of abuse in a dysfunctional Maori family depicted in the landmark movie "Once Were Warriors". The abuse problem has cast a shadow over a country more popularly seen as a charming and scenic backwater, famous for adventure sports and fine wines and as the setting for the award-winning "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. But politicians and rights activists say family violence is all too real. New Zealand has the third-highest rate of child murders in the world, according to Christine Rankin, chief executive of the For the Sake of the Children trust. "Our problem is huge. Do not underestimate how enormous it is," Rankin told Reuters. Rankin's trust said it had confirmed that 10,687 children were neglected or abused in the past year and that there were also 53,097 notifications of suspected child abuse -- all in a nation of 4.1 million people. A UNICEF report last month found that between 18,000 and 35,000 children were exposed to domestic violence each year, with the problem so common that most New Zealanders know a child who has witnessed violence at home. "A lot of people know about abuse in families. They see it and it is right under their nose but they are afraid to say anything," Rankin said. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE "EPIDEMIC" New Zealand's leaders fear that the crisis, which a government taskforce has described as "shameful" and an "epidemic", has grown to the point that it could damage the nation's reputation. In an extraordinary farewell speech, outgoing New Zealand Governor-General Dame Sylvia Cartwright drew a stark contrast between New Zealand's reputation as a nation that helps troubled neighbours and its domestic abuse record at home. Cartwright, whose term as representative of Britain's Queen Elizabeth ended this month, praised New Zealand's work in violence-hit countries such as East Timor and the Solomon Islands but said it was time to address its own "nightmare". "Sometimes when I listen to a foreign leader praise our efforts in the environment or our willingness to assist those in war-ravaged countries, I hope that our dark secrets -- for they remain hidden to the rest of the world -- will never become known internationally," Cartwright said on August 2. "I am concerned that these countries that so admire us might soon learn that we have a terrible rate of family and other violence," she said.