NEW ZEALAND
Radio NZ
March 2, 2018
By Phil Pennington
A survivor of sexual abuse is calling for Sir Anand Satyanand to be removed as head of the new Royal Commission, after a survivor’s privacy was apparently breached.
He laid a complaint against Sir Anand with the Privacy Commission, only to find that it is legally unable to investigate a Royal Commission.
The man spoke out for the first time on Morning Report this week about the abuse suffered at the hands of a Catholic brother.
RNZ contacted Sir Anand about the survivors’ concerns and expressly asked for their names to be kept confidential.
“Please note we are NOT identifying these men and ask for their names to be held in confidence in this – thus I approach you directly and not through DIA or your office,” the email read.
But that email from RNZ, with the names still included, was then forwarded to staff helping Sir Anand at the Department of Internal Affairs.
The victim and his elderly father, who was also abused at a Catholic college, are campaigning for the Royal Commission to be expanded to cover non-state institutions such as churches.
“The Royal Commission is not a place for anything but absolute truth and openness,” he said.
He told RNZ Sir Anand not only breached the trust and confidentiality required by a Royal Commission but also their privacy by emailing personal details to the department when specifically asked not to do so.
He is calling for Sir Anand to be replaced and has written separately to the Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy asking her to remove the former Governor-General from the Commission.
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