Boot camp policy will ‘punish trauma’ – abuse victim

The government’s boot camp policy will not deliver results and will only further punish traumatised survivors, an advocate for victims of abuse says.

A coalition plan to place serious juvenile offenders in military-style training camps run by Oranga Tamariki has been met with criticism from youth rights advocates and survivors of abuse in state and faith-based care.

Ken Clearwater, national spokesman for Male Survivors Aotearoa, criticised the plan in a letter to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

“I sent you an email on April 16 regarding training camps. I spoke about the conversation you and I had at Rangiora Town Hall with Matt Doocey before the election regarding training camps and my concerns and what you told me,” he wrote in the letter.

“I was surprised by the response I received from Minister (Children’s Affairs) (Karen) Chhour, given that the minister was not part of our conversation.

“I go back to that conversation we had when you told me in front of a couple hundred members of the public that ‘we have the best military trainers in the country,’ and now we find out that the military told you about their concerns a while ago. You even talked about the LSV (Limited Volunteer Service), where their concerns come from.”

While leader of the Opposition, in November 2022 Luxon announced a National Party plan to set up military academies for young offenders run by the Defence Forces.

Clearwater questioned why the training camps were to be run by Oranga Tamariki, pointing to reports of staff being suspended for running fight clubs in juvenile justice centres, as well as the number of children who have been harmed while in the ministry’s care.

“This is the agency you would trust to care for some of our most vulnerable? As I said before, these young people need guidance, many of them have traumatic pasts, and you can’t punish trauma.

“You told me that every young person will have a professional carer with them. I asked you where you will get those people, as someone working on the front line, they are simply not there. If they were there, they could help these young people before they get into trouble. We know there is a shortage of 1,000 psychologists and some of your new policies will reduce the number of social workers.”

Clearwater said government policies had failed children for 157 years.

“I see on the news that when you were talking about the many concerns about boot camps, you said, ‘I don’t care what you say about whether it works or not,’” Clearwater wrote.

“I care, Mr. Prime Minister, because for the last 30 years I have lived through the consequences of failed government policies like this. I have sat in prison cells, in shelters, in psychiatric facilities, on the streets with men who were raped and tortured as boys while under the “care” of state and religious organizations.

“Where many were and are still institutionalized and still under the “care” of the state, whether in prison, in mental health facilities, on sickness benefits, unemployment benefits, and in many cases unable to live with the shame and guilt, took their own lives. I carry that with me every day, I care.

“My question to the Prime Minister is why you and the Coalition Government will not wait until the Royal Commission is out before you make these decisions, decisions that previous Governments have made and failed to make. A Royal Commission will be the best ‘blueprint’ for the future of our youth and this nation. We owe it to the people of Aotearoa and our children who we know are our future.

“If you really want to make a difference, and not just make a political statement, take inventory of all the services in this country that are working well with our youth and provide adequate funding to provide those services. That will show our youth that we care and save the country billions of dollars.”

“There is no doubt that these young people need to be held accountable and I agree with you that we need to try something, unfortunately boot camps are not the answer.”

RNZ asked the Prime Minister’s office if it had a response to Clearwater’s letter and its concerns. It referred all comments to Chhour.

Chhour’s office said the minister was on vacation this week but was aware of Clearwater’s concerns and staff contacted him.