Multiple investigations are underway into allegations of sexual assaults at Waikeria Prison and claims a Corrections Officer failed to report serious complaints from inmates.
Two prisoners say they were attacked multiple times by other inmates at the men's jail near Te Awamutu in Waikato.
Amnesty International executive director Meg de Ronde told Checkpoint she is horrified by the allegations, “but sadly I’m not surprised”.
“This is consistent with patterns we’ve seen and others have reported on. We not only have harm occurring in prisons to people inside, but then the response from Corrections exacerbates that harm.”
It is alleged the prisoners reported the assaults to a prison officer more than a month ago, but nothing was done and the sexual attacks continued.
“The complaints process has been broken for a very long time. Corrections conducted an investigation into their process in 2012. But since then very little seems to have changed,” de Ronde said.
She wants to see urgent action.
The Department of Corrections says it alerted police after it became aware of the allegation earlier this week and police have confirmed they are now investigating.
In a statement to Checkpoint Corrections says it is also carrying out a full review into the alleged assaults and the ways in which the men's allegations were managed.
The alleged perpetrators have been transferred to another prison site and the victims have also been moved at their request.
