On Tuesday, New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, issued a historic apology to the victims of abuse in state care, acknowledging the “unimaginable pain” endured by children in state-run homes and psychiatric hospitals.

A recent public inquiry revealed that over the span of decades, approximately 200,000 vulnerable New Zealanders were subjected to abuse while in state care, describing the findings as an “unthinkable national catastrophe.”

The report highlighted harrowing accounts of sexual abuse by church-affiliated carers, forced adoptions of children, and patients in psychiatric hospitals being subjected to cruel treatments, including being strapped to beds for electroconvulsive therapy, which often induced seizures.

In his address to Parliament, Luxon apologized on behalf of successive governments, who failed to act on these reports of abuse.

“I am sorry you were not believed when you came forward to report your abuse,” Luxon said. “Some of you may feel that my words, after so much time and so much pain, count for little. But I hope that today, with this apology and the acknowledgment of your suffering, it becomes a little lighter for some of you.”

Luxon also referenced the infamous Lake Alice psychiatric hospital, where patients described being subjected to unethical medical experiments, forced sterilizations, and cruel punishment with electric shocks.

“To those of you who were tortured at Lake Alice—young, alone, and subjected to unimaginable pain—I am deeply sorry,” he said.

The inquiry also found that some of the abuse was compounded by racism, particularly targeting Indigenous Māori people.

Established in 2018, the inquiry made 233 recommendations, which Luxon’s government has pledged to review and consider moving forward. Many survivors of the abuse report enduring trauma, which has led to ongoing struggles with addiction and other long-term issues.