375. The cumulative harm and resulting trauma that survivors of abuse and / or neglect suffered while in State and faith-based care is immeasurable. Survivors experienced devastating physical, emotional, mental, social, cultural, spiritual, educational and financial effects on every facet of their lives. Survivors told the Inquiry about the long-term physical, psychological, cognitive and behavioural effects, which have led to long-term societal consequences. Some survivors took their own lives as a result. The impacts of abuse and neglect are compounding and lifelong – they have shaped the everyday life of the survivor, their whānau and support networks. The sheer scale of accumulated harm at the individual and collective level is expressed in survivor evidence.

376. As set out in the Inquiry’s previous reports,[448] the loss survivors experienced includes a loss of childhood, innocence, family relationships, self-esteem, faith, personal power and self. Their trust was betrayed, for many, at the youngest of ages, and they are unable to trust those around them. The overall impact on their sense of safety and their wellbeing was changed forever. The quality of their lives has been irreparably damaged.[449]

377. While there are many impacts that are broadly common to all survivors and across all settings, there are groups that were disproportionately impacted with distinct outcomes due to the survivor’s ethnicity, circumstances, experiences and the specific types of abuse experienced while in care.

378. The impacts of abuse and neglect for Māori survivors also include the deliberate disconnection from te ao Māori. This resulted in intense whakamā (shame), not knowing their cultural identity, being disconnected from whānau and whakapapa, loss of te reo Māori, tikanga Māori and mātauranga Māori. The trauma of the abuse and neglect was intergenerational, transferring from survivors to their tamariki, mokopuna, whānau, hapū and iwi.

379. The impacts of the ongoing denial of tino rangatiratanga over kāinga, the inability to protect their own and the loss of future leadership, were further compounded by racism in the care system and wider society and the ongoing effects of colonisation.

380. Pacific survivors and their kainga also experienced the transfer of trauma to future generations. Survivors spoke of the devastation and harm caused by cultural disconnection and the loss of cultural identity, causing harm to the vā, which is the ‘space between’ that holds people together. This resulted in intense shame, disconnection from their Pacific world view and loss of community, which impacted on fakatupuolamoui – the ability to live vigorously and abundantly.

381. Disabled survivors experienced segregation and restricted contact from their whānau, communities and society, causing acute pain, isolation and lifelong negative impacts. This separation also denied Māori and Pacific survivors access to their cultural beliefs, values and practices. Disabled survivors were also regularly dehumanised and stripped of their autonomy, which not only caused immense mental and emotional harm but also restricted survivors’ life opportunities.

382. Deaf survivors experienced educational, linguistic and cultural neglect in care, which meant they did not develop language competency and were denied any understanding that they were a member of Deaf culture.

383. The societal impacts of abuse in State and faith-based care are enduring. Historical and contemporary abuse of children, young people and adults in care contributed to an intergenerational transfer of social inequalities. This includes inequitable health and education outcomes, higher incarceration rates, intimate partner violence, family and whānau violence, unemployment, homelessness, mental distress, substance misuse and abuse, an overall reduced number of life opportunities, and self-inflicted death.

384. Many impacted individuals acquired disability and experienced mental distress, disrupting lives that might otherwise have been easier, longer, less physically and mentally painful, and with exposure to fewer layers of discrimination.

385. In the face of horrific abuse and neglect, many survivors have demonstrated extraordinary determination and resilience through their ability to endure, confront, persist and triumph in the face of considerable and ongoing adversity.

Footnotes