Gang whānau gather for joint hui on abuse in state care

Gangs hold joint hui to share stories of abuse in care.

Gangs have held their first-ever joint hui to share stories of abuse many of them suffered in state and faith-based care as children.

The hui was organised by Hikoi Nation, a think-tank aimed at improving the outcomes of gang whānau.

The Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry attended the hui, and said gang whānau are a unique and important part of Aotearoa's survivor community.

"They told us that as innocent tamariki they were taken from their families, put in care and then alienated, marginalised, abused and discriminated against," Royal Commission Chair Coral Shaw said.

The Waitangi Tribunal has previously acknowledged the connection between state care and gang membership.

According to the Tribunal, an estimated 80 to 90% of Mongrel Mob and Black Power gang members had been state wards.

The experiences shared by gang survivors will help inform the Royal Commission’s recommendations to the Government, due later this year.

"For many, being placed in care meant they lost contact with family, community, culture, language, identity and whakapapa, which many later struggled to regain," Shaw said.

"Many told us that they turned to gangs to find the whānau that they lost."

The Abuse in Care - Royal Commission of Inquiry is looking into what happened to children, young people and vulnerable adults in state and faith-based care in Aotearoa between 1950-99.

So far, the four-year inquiry has heard the experiences of 2644 people, held 133 public hearings and analysed more than one million documents.

The range of abuse reported by victims includes physical, sexual, emotional and torture, and at some institutions appears to have gone largely unchecked.

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