The Baptist Church is publicly apologising to people - including childen - who were abused in its care. Photo: 123RF
The Baptist Church is publicly apologising to people - including childen - who were abused in its care.
It acknowledged people were "physically, sexually, emotionally and spiritually harmed" while in its care and that not enough was done to address that.
Sixteen people came forward during the Royal Commission into Abuse in Care to disclose abuse at the hands of Baptist organisations between 1950 and 1999.
Some of them had been in the care of the Manurewa Children's Home which had been set up to care for neglected and orphaned children in 1914 and had residential care until 1989.
The Bapist Union of New Zealand, which represented the church and associated entities, issued the apology.
Deputy chair of its council, Rachelle Martin, said the church wanted to publicly acknowledge its failing.
"We know that people were harmed when they should have been protected so this apology is really recognising that failure and a public commitment to change."
The formal apology was a written one. In one part, it singled out the children abused at the Manurewa home.
"Taking responsibility for children and young people in particularly vulnerable circumstances should have been met with the very best care, but we know that there were a number of people harmed in this home. You were failed, often many times over, and across an extended period of time. We apologise particularly to you," it said
The apology also acknowledged all harm done at the hands of the church.
"The abuse of any person is unacceptable, but for people to have been abused when they were at their most vulnerable and when they were being connected with a Christian community or ministry is a particular failure," the apology said.
Martin said where victims were known, the church would reach out to them personally, but it would mostly be relying on people coming forward.
It was inviting them to get in touch if they wanted to share their experiences, saying they could phone or email and would be treated with confidentiality, kindness and compassion, she said.
The church acknowledged that was not always the case in the past, and that it had failed those who had disclosed abuse.
Martin said the apology was just the beginning and the church was taking action to make sure it had better safeguards, an improved complaints process and training to address discrimination.
"It's devastating to hear that people who should have been safe did not always experience safety in care so we are really committed to making sure this doesn't happen again," she said.
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