Released on July 24 by the Royal Commission, the highest-level inquiry in NZ, the findings culminate a six-year, $101 million investigation that uncovered a Kafkaesque nightmare of individuals being tortured under the guise of mental health care. [1] The New York Times detailed, “The abuse included sexual assault, electric shocks, chemical restraints, medical experimentation, sterilization, starvation, beatings,” according to the Royal Commission report. It initially documented the electroshocking of children’s legs and genitals by a psychiatrist at the now-closed Lake Alice Psychiatric Hospital. The Inquiry recognized the international legal right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. [9]The Royal Commission called for apologies from government and private agencies, including the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists and Medical Council of New Zealand.

Source: New York Times July 29, 2024 06:27 UTC