Violence proliferates when people are marginalised and silenced by negative social attitudes, lack of resources, stigma and discrimination, and the ensuing powerlessness and invisibility created by these circumstances. This report makes several recommendations to address these underlying causes of violence and abuse against tāngata whaikaha Māori, Deaf and disabled people, and also to reorientate the systems designed to respond to violence and abuse to ensure they are accessible and relevant when disabled people need safety and support to escape and recover from violence. Making these changes will require a whole of society change that incorporates the knowledge, experience and expertise of tāngata whaikaha Māori and disabled people at every level in: • addressing structural barriers • making mainstream services accessible • developing the specialist services that will keep particular groups of disabled people safe • helping tāngata whaikaha Māori and disabled people recover from violencerelated harm. The first step in this process is for government, ministries, government and NGO services, and civil society to recognise the severity and size of the problem – the epidemic proportions of violence and abuse of tāngata whaikaha Māori and disabled people – and acknowledge that this is a problem not for disabled people to solve, but for all of us. 60 Human Rights Commission The long-standing violence and abuse of tāngata whaikaha Māori and disabled children and adults, currently being exposed by the ‘Abuse in Care: Royal Commission of Inquiry (2021)’, is not just an historic problem, but one occurring every day across the country. Disabled people are 24% of the population. This number is expected to grow as the population ages, and as poverty and inequity increase. Disabled people are reflective of everyone in society, and hence, are part of all our families; are our peers and friends, work mates, and the people we interact with in the community. It is unacceptable that violence against so many people who are part of our society should be unrecognised and ignored. This report has identified the lack of a comprehensive Te Tiriti o Waitangi and human rights-based policy to address violence against tāngata whaikaha Māori, Deaf and disabled people, and adults at risk. Implementing the recommendations in this report will form the basis of a robust, strategic response to prevent further harm, identify existing violence and abuse, and provide therapeutic responses to those who have been physically, sexually, emotionally and spiritually harmed by violence and abuse. The time to do this is now.