NZ: Open court would expose abuse - Pakura 

NZ: Open court would expose abuse - Pakura

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2858028a10,00.html

T O P S T O R Y

Open court would expose abuse - Pakura

27 March 2004

More open press coverage of the Family Court would highlight the abusive way many people treat their children, chief social worker Shannon Pakura said today.


Principal Family Court Judge Peter Boshier has said he supports wider media coverage of family court matters, but opposes opening it to the public. He has called for informed public debate.

Ms Pakura said today more openness would be a revelation for the public.

"You would learn the level of violence that adults have on one another. You would learn about what adults do to children," she told National Radio.

More openness would also highlight the number of people who use the court to focus on their own interests instead of children's, she said. ACT MP Muriel Newman has also welcomed Judge Boshier's call for more openness, as suggested by a recent Law Commission report.

NZPA

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