Homeless children are not a problem to be moved elsewhere – Children’s Commissioner

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.

“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.”

Media contact:

Melissa Wastney

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