Nia Glassie a reminder of the link between neglect and Gambling

Nia Glassie's mother Lisa Kuka was found guilty of manslaughter in the High Court in Rotorua.
During the trial the Rotorua High Court jury hearing the case of Nia was told that Nia's mother was seen at the pokie machines past 1 am, a couple of nights every week.

"Pokie machines certainly were a factor in Nia's neglect and they appear to be playing a significant role in adding to our tragic child abuse history in addition to our overall crime statistics" says Graeme Ramsey, CEO of the Problem Gambling Foundation.

A British research journal has reported that children of problem gamblers were reported to be two to three times more likely to be abused by both the gambler and his or her spouse than by their peers.

This follows closely a report by the Northern Advocate in early October where a Whangarei mother had been charged after allegedly leaving her baby boy alone in a car while she played pokie machines in a hotel bar.

In a recent report from the Department of Internal Affairs, poor parenting and family violence are cited as harmful side effects from problem gambling. The sections of the community most at risk are people living in high deprivation areas.

"Our commitment as a community must be to eradicate child abuse in New Zealand. What is clear is that reducing the impact of pokie machines on New Zealand families will make a significant contribution in doing this".