Man beaten, demoralised and suffers life-long impacts of abuse in state care
Tuesday, 4 May 2021
Warning: This story contains details that might be distressing.
A man has described being beaten black and blue, and urinated on when he was sleeping during his time at a state-run boys’ home.
Daniel Rei, 47, is one of 16 survivors giving evidence to the Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse in care over the next two weeks at public hearings in Auckland.
Rei was in state care for four years at a family home in New Plymouth, Hamilton Boys’ Home and the Kohitere Boys’ Training Centre in Levin.
The experiences he endured would go on to shape his perception of violence and his own violent behaviour.
**READ MORE:
* Alleged foster care abuser an 'animal', Auckland sexual assault trial hears
* 'A lot of abuse took place there': State care institutions vanished from records
* Abuse victim recounts horror of living in Temuka children's home
**
His behaviour got aggressive after experiencing racism at school in Taranaki, and after being sexually abused by his uncle when he was 8 years old, so his mother contacted the Department of Social Welfare.
In December 1986, he was admitted to the Rosendale Family Home where he became involved in sexual activity, started sniffing glue daily, smoking cigarettes and cannabis and taking benzodiazepines.
He was admitted to Hamilton Boys’ Home after committing burglaries. He was not there long, and ran away as often as he could.
As punishment for running away he was put in what looked like a storage cupboard, with nothing but a built-in seat.
“I had to urinate and defecate in the corner and sleep in my own waste… I assumed other boys had been in there and had to do the same thing.”
Rei was then sent to the Kohitere Boys’ Training Centre in Levin for two years. One night he was woken in the dormitory by what felt like 10 boys beating him.
“It was like a nightmare, I just curled myself up and lay there, covered in blood. I was in a lot of pain.”
He woke later to find two boys urinating on him.
Rei said new kids were beaten the worst, and older boys would defecate in his bed.
“They all thought it was funny… One time I even awoke to find a boy ejaculating on me.”
Rei said he twice tried to tell staff about the violence, but a female staff member beat him and a male staff member told the boys to beat him for “narking”.
He also witnessed beatings and sexual abuse at the hands of both staff and other boys, while staff members provoked it or stood by.
He spent over two-thirds of his time in the secure unit for bad behaviour or running away, and would have to perform excessive physical training twice a day.
Rei only completed a few days of schooling and taught himself to read and write.
Since his discharge from state care in 1990, Rei had been in and out of prison, for a total of 18 years.
He joined Black Power at 16 years old and had since been convicted of property and violent offences.
Rei admitted to shooting a man in Woodville in 2016, but pleaded self-defence and was found not guilty of murder and manslaughter.
“It was like I was not even alive. I had a casual attitude towards violence that I learnt from the Boys’ Homes.
“Those places turned me into a monster.”
He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, socialised disorder of conduct, antisocial personality disorder, poly-substance abuse and dependence and generalised anxiety disorder.
He also suffers from insomnia and seizures from repetitive brain injuries.
“I feel as if there are two Daniels. The first Daniel, who I never wanted to be, is broody, dark, socially isolated, and sometimes violent.
“The other Daniel is light-hearted, cracks jokes, smart and accomplished.” he said. “I wish I was always the second Daniel, but I have to live with the two sides of me because of the abuse I suffered in care.”
Rei said he was not speaking at the Inquiry for money, but for justice and to stop other children suffering like he did.
Rei is now a qualified commercial painter, and he has a Diploma in Enology, which is chemical engineering for wine making.
The Kohitere Boys’ Training Centre was closed down in 1990.
Where to get help
Rape Crisis - 0800 88 33 00 (Will direct you to a nearby centre), follow link for information on local helplines
Victim Support - 0800 842 846 (24hr service)
The Harbour, online support and information for those affected by harmful sexual behaviour
Women’s Refuge (For women and children) - crisis line available on 0800 733 843
Safe to talk - 0800 044 334, text 4334 or web chat
Male Survivors Aotearoa (For men) - follow link for regional helplines
If you or someone else is in immediate danger call 111.