Why We Need A New Approach

A New Zealand Perspective

Nobody knows exactly how much child abuse goes on in the community because so much of it is hidden. However, it is often reported in newspapers up and down the country. It is so common that the police have set up special teams to deal with it. One Otago University study suggested that about one in four women experience some form of sexual abuse by age 16. We now know that boys are just as likely to be abused as girls and that abusers can be both men and women.

Abuse and neglect need to be treated seriously because their effects can be very harmful and may last a lifetime. If you know about or suspect someone is being abused, there are actions you can take to help them. This programme, No Excuse For Abuse!, may give you some ideas.

In the 1980s, the New Zealand Police decided that schools would be a good place to begin prevention efforts. Research showed that generally parents were not well informed enough to help children to stay safe and many hesitated to discuss it with their children for fear of causing distress. School is a place where children can be educated about abuse, while teachers, parents, carers and other adults can be made aware of the problem and given skills and strategies to handle it.

The police launched Keeping Ourselves Safe and this programme is now available to all school levels from Year 0 to Year 13 (see next page). No Excuse For Abuse! has been designed to dovetail with this programme.

Although there are references to New Zealand documents and statistics, we are confident that the material and activities in this programme are valid throughout the English-speaking world.