A group of abuse survivors, accompanied by two horses, have marched into Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) offices in Christchurch.
Among the protesters’ demands is that ACC reforms eligibility for coverage for abuse survivors, immediate redress and an end to government’s boot camps.
The about two dozen survivors of abuse in care and their supporters marched from the Bridge of Remembrance to ACC to deliver a letter calling for change.
Advocate Ken Clearwater said survivors seeking ACC-funded care for trauma faced a six to eight month wait and some had been denied coverage.
“One psychiatrist’s report for a survivor of abuse by a Catholic priest at St Joseph’s school here in Christchurch said cover declined – sexual abuse not connected to the mental injury,” Clearwater told the crowd.
“This is a 7-year-old boy in the care of the church… who was sexually abused over three days by a priest but the psychiatrist said the sexual abuse was minor.”
Clearwater questioned whether some of those making the assessments had the necessary and correct training to deal with the trauma suffered by abuse survivors.
Survivors were also still being ignored and kept in the dark, despite the promises from government ministers, agencies and politicians, Clearwater said.
“Survivors have been silenced for years. We’ve finally got the most amazing document from the Royal Commission, which is being ignored.”
Survivors needed immediate redress and the government’s boot camps experiment needed to end, he said.
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