Children’s Commissioner Dr Claire Achmad has today given
her oral submission to the Justice Committee on the Summary
Offences (Move On Orders) Amendment Bill and is urging
Parliament to reject the proposed legislation, warning it
risks punishing children and young people for being homeless
rather than addressing the underlying causes of their
hardship.
Dr Achmad says the Bill takes the wrong
approach to a complex social issue and could cause
significant harm to some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s most
vulnerable mokopuna.
“We can’t simply move a serious
social challenge like homelessness to the next suburb along
– it remains a serious challenge and mokopuna will still be
in need of the most basic support. Let’s not make a law that
ends up pushing the most disadvantaged young people further
to the margins.”
Dr Achmad says the Bill appears
focused on managing the visibility of homelessness and
begging in public spaces rather than providing the
desperately needed support to ensure the well-known drivers
behind them are addressed.
“Sleeping rough is often
a sign of family breakdown, abuse, poverty, mental health
issues, addiction, housing insecurity, or gaps in State
care. We’re talking about young people in urgent need of
support. When a child or young person is in severe housing
deprivation and sleeping on the streets, our first question
must be ‘How can we help you?’, not ‘how do we move
you on somewhere else?’
The Commissioner is
particularly concerned about the potential impact on
children and young people who are already over-represented
in care and justice systems.
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“Let’s be honest about
who will feel the impact of this most heavily, if this Bill
is to pass. We know it will disproportionately affect Māori
and young people leaving State care.
“Sweeping away
mokopuna as young as 14 from public places does not resolve
the issues they face. Instead, it displaces vulnerable
individuals to unfamiliar and potentially less safe
environments where they remain at risk, while the underlying
problems negatively affecting their rights and development
go unaddressed.”
Dr Achmad says all legislation
affecting children should be assessed against a simple
principle: whether it makes children safer, improves their
circumstances and respects and fulfils their
rights.
“Children’s rights and their basic wellbeing
have to come first. If a policy doesn’t improve a child’s
safety and circumstances, it’s not the right response. The
measures proposed in this Bill are punitive, likely to be
ineffective, and risk increasing harm to mokopuna who are
already experiencing significant disadvantage. There is
simply no rationale that stacks up for New Zealand to be
‘moving people on’ when what they need is basic care and
support.”
“Homelessness among children and young
people requires compassion, investment and practical
support. The answer is to address the causes of youth
homelessness and ensure young people can access the support
they need, including somewhere safe to go, people who can
support them, and a genuine pathway to stability and
wellbeing. This Bill must not progress. To do so will be yet
another backwards step on children’s rights in New
Zealand.”
About Mana Mokopuna |
Children’s Commissioner:
Mana Mokopuna |
Children’s Commissioner advocates for the best interests
of all children and young people in Aotearoa New Zealand and
looks to ensure all of their rights are respected and
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