Save the Children is calling on the government to advance its review of physical punishment laws in New Zealand following a UNICEF report that shows New Zealand has one of the highest rates of child death from maltreatment (physical abuse and neglect) among OECD countries.

The report, ‘A league table of child maltreatment deaths in rich nations’ ranks New Zealand third from the bottom of the league table (above USA and Mexico) with 1.2 child deaths from maltreatment per 100,000 children annually.

This is over 10 times higher than the league leader Spain (0.1 deaths per 100,000 children), 3 times higher than the UK (0.4 per 100,000) and twice as high as Australia (0.7 per 100,000). It also puts New Zealand in a group with Belgium, the Czech Republic, Hungary and France for levels of child maltreatment deaths that are 4 to 6 times higher than the average for the leading industrial countries.

Save the Children New Zealand Executive Director John Bowis said today that New Zealand’s position was unacceptable.

“Our children deserve better than this. We call on the government to bring forward their review of physical punishment laws relating to children, and to give greater urgency to implementing it’s positive parenting initiatives."

“We need to create a community culture of non-violence toward children and throughout society."

Mr Bowis said that New Zealand’s position was made worse by the fact that the trend for child abuse deaths is in decline in the majority of industrialised countries, but not New Zealand.

“The annual number of deaths from maltreatment in New Zealand in the 1990s was 1.2 per 100,000 children, compared to 0.9 between 1971-1975.

“Tragically, maltreatment deaths are but the tiny tip of a very large iceberg of abuse," said Mr Bowis.

For example, the report found that for every one death from maltreatment among children under the age of 15 years in Australia during 1999-2000, there were 150 cases of physical abuse that were substantiated following investigation.

The report found that 3,500 children under the age of 15 die from maltreatment every year in the industrialised world.

Poverty and stress, along with drug and alcohol abuse, appear to be the factors most closely and consistently associated with child abuse and neglect.

ENDS

For more information contact Save the Children on 04 385 6847.