Tonight on Close Up ` why did the system there to protect her throw a 13-year-old girl back to her abuser? There were no follow-ups. There were no checks. And stars in their own eyes ` giving the disabled the ability to shine. Give these guys half a chance, and see what they can do. Due to the live nature of Close Up, captions for some items may be incomplete. ONE News captions by Sam Bradford and June Yeow. Close Up captions by Desney Shaw and Faith Hamblyn. If you were a child being abused in your own home, would you plead for help? Would you try to block it out? Would you run away? Monique Hoffman tried all those things. Monique was sexually abused by her dad, Colin John Hoffman. At 13, she took the brave step of calling for help from Child, Youth and Family. But the officials left Monique in her dad's house. Tonight we'll hear what CYF has to say. But first, this from reporter Jehan Casinader and producer Shalleen Hern. I was just a child who trusted her father. I had no idea that what was happening wasn't meant to be happening. He was like the Incredible Hulk, I suppose. But just like the Hulk, there were faults there. He's taken so much from me ` things that... nobody should ever take. Monique was desperate for help, but when she called for it, it never came. I can recall right back to when I was 9. One minute we're lying in the bed next to our father getting ready to go to sleep, and the next thing his hands are all over my body. Monique was sexually abused for years until she told one of her schoolmates. Child, Youth and Family was called in. They asked me what was going on, so I told them. 'My father's been touching me; he's been kissing me; 'he keeps me up later than everybody else at night-time; he puts his hand under my shirt, down my pants; 'he comes into my room at night-times.' < You told them all of that? Yep. But CYF didn't take Monique away. Instead, they sent her home that night, and they told Colin what Monique had said. They didn't put any plan in place to make sure I was never alone with him. So therefore he got his mits into me, took me downstairs and said, 'Look, you either tell them what's been going on and I'll more than likely go to jail for a long time 'and you'll get taken away from the rest of the family and you'll go into foster care, 'or you tell them that you were mad at me for not letting you go to your friend's.' So he asked you to lie to CYF? Correct. And you did? Correct. I was a scared little child. I was scared of being thrown away. The very next day Monique told CYF it was all just a misunderstanding. The social worker thought 13-year-old Monique had just been trying to get her dad into trouble. 'She's punishing her father with either threats to expose his behaviour 'or telling false stories about him. Monique acts as a woman scorned.' But we have a copy of Child, Youth and Family's files. They reveal just how much the agency knew about her. 'I have decided to proceed with entering information on Monique's file.' 'Both the children and the father are in therapy.' 'Punched with fists in the back and stomach.' 'Being left unsupervised and alone.' In the previous five years, CYF had been alerted that Colin and at least two of his partners had physically abused Monique. They didn't look at any of that. They didn't say, 'Well, hang on. Maybe we do need to look at this more. 'Because this child has had more abuse than this accusation.' Monique was offered therapy, but CYF's final decision about her allegations came in capital letters in black and white. They never came back after that. There were no follow-ups. There were no checks. I was getting really scared. It wasn't long after that that I took off from home. Monique spent years moving around the country, working odd jobs. She even had two kids of her own. But she couldn't escape her past. I wanted to get how I was feeling out of me. It was killing me. I was getting ready to pick up the phone... VOICE BREAKS: and call a friend to come and pick up my kids so I could go for a drive. And instead I picked up the phone and rang the police and said, 'I need to speak to somebody about something my father had been doing to me as a child.' In court, Monique proved what she had told CYF 10 years earlier ` that Colin Hoffman was an abuser. Taking it to trial, I would have never thought that it would have been as hard as what it was ` to stand up in front people I didn't know, I'd never seen before, never met before, and tell them my story. He was jailed for 10 years for rape and unlawful sexual connection. I don't hate you for what you've done. I never will. Because I'm not giving you that power any more. And you've taught me to be a really strong person. As a victim, Monique had name suppression, but she lifted it to allow us to tell this story. We've waited a year and a half to do it. That's because Colin Hoffman appealed his convictions. That appeal was thrown out last week, and he'll stay in jail for the next seven years. Now Monique wants answers from Child, Youth and Family. A huge explanation. < It's not about money? No. A huge explanation. While Monique says she never really had a childhood, she now has her own kids to look after. The fear of losing either of my children for any unforeseen reason is like a paper cut to the side of my heart. It is something I would never be ale to handle. So therefore it is my sole purpose in life to never, ever, ever, let that happen. And Monique has a message to any abuse victims who have doubts about whether they can get help. People look at me and say, 'I'm not as strong as you; I'm not as tough as you emotionally.' You don't need to be. You want to cry? Cry. The police have got more than enough tissues. Our tax money pays for that. (LAUGHS) Yeah, just put your hand up and don't ever feel ashamed, because it is not your shame. It's not something you did. It's just something you have to live with. Child Youth and Family wouldn't come on the programme tonight, but in a statement, they told us Monique's case is being investigated in detail by an independent claims unit. They promise a thorough review, but say it could take 18 months. CYF says if the review finds that any failings, the agency will take responsibility. What do you make of all? Let us know by going to website, email us at closeup@tvnz.co.nz and we're on Facebook too ` join the discussion there. Coming up ` an awesome commitment from our Olympic rowers for kids in need. It's not hard to fall in love with them. (LAUGHS) Plus ` forget disability; it's about what you can do. APPLAUSE, CHEERING You can't get much further from the glory of being an Olympic medallist than working in a rundown school in one of the poorest parts of the world, but that's where our rowers Rebecca Scown and Juliet Haigh knew they were heading after London. And they couldn't have been happier about it. Kim Vinnell on the awesome way our medallists are giving back. PAUL SIMON'S 'HOMELESS' It is quite shocking to see first-hand. We walked through. There's a lot of stagnant water around, kids playing in it. It's not hard to fall in love with them. (LAUGHS) I've seen images on television before, but to actually arrive there, it is quite emotional to see the children. PAUL SIMON'S 'HOMELESS' CONTINUES Having NZ athletes in Kenya is a huge deal. Fresh from the nail-biting Olympic finish, Rebecca Scown and Juliette Haigh couldn't be further from the banks of Eton Dorney, leaving their bronze at home and getting down to work in the middle of a Kenyan slum. Knowing that for these kids, this is probably the best meal they get, when they come here to school. # The teacher on the bus goes, 'Shh, shh, shh' all day long. # Volunteering at a preschool and feeding programme, all of it founded by fellow K Marcus Gregar-Rive three years ago. Yeah, we're going there next Wednesday. I was working in a job that was just not going anywhere. I was working retail, sales, selling things to people. It was fine, but I was bored, and I wanted to see Africa. I'd always thought about coming here. So what was supposed to be a three-week tourist trip turned into a three-year labour of love. When I first saw the kids, I just knew. Like, in my heart of hearts, I knew this is what I wanted to do ` I wanted to take kids from not having school to having school. All 80 of Marcus' students live in the slum we showed you earlier. Most kids there are put to work almost as soon as they can walk and will never set foot inside a classroom. For children here in the school, there's a big difference. You know, they've been looked after; they're getting educated; they're being fed here, and you can see the difference between them and the children who haven't yet had the opportunity to go to a school like this. # The passengers on the bus go bumpity bump, bump... The pair heard about the slum's school and charity through an old university friend of Rebecca's, who runs a volunteer agency. Paying their own way, the girls share the same reason for the journey. ALL: # The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep... # 'For the last four years, everything's been about the Olympics,' and, you know, in this sport, when you're building up to the Olympics, everything is about us. It's like getting to bed early, eating the right thing, getting the recovery. For us, coming over here was something totally different. It's like turning the tables. An athlete's lifestyle is a very selfish one, but, you know... And so it is nice now that we get the opportunity now to do something completely different and come over here and, you know, just help out. The pair are also giving motivational talks at other local schools during their stay. The Olympics was a dream of mine since I was your age... Which presents a challenge, considering most here have never heard of rowing. For a lot of these kids, it's good to see some people in the flesh that have achieved their goals, and so they can see that we're just normal people, and hopefully, start to imagine themselves in the future achieving their own goals. These girls have worked hard, and they have been passionate and have followed their dream. And that's a message we've been trying to tell the kids ` never give up, never stop, and go through all the challenges. So having the girls here is a huge positive influence on our whole community, actually. But what this community doesn't know is that it was this trip that helped propel Rebecca and Juliette to an Olympic podium finish. In the build-up, we were so focused, but every now and then, it was something we would talk about. We were quite excited about the thought of coming to Kenya and doing this volunteer work, so, you know, it was a little bit of a dream for us in amongst that focus period to, you know, think ahead and have something to look forward to after the Olympics. ALL: # Atishoo! Atishoo! They all fall down! # Now, as the girls prepare to return home, they've set their sights on their next mission ` to fundraise for a school greenhouse. This greenhouse would make us self-sufficient, basically. All the crops we grew, we would either sell them or use them for the food programme. And all the sales would be invested back into the programme. A simple solution, but one which would transform this school and community. It's for the future. It's something that's not like you're giving a bag of rice, they'll eat the rice ` that's it. It's going to be something that will continue to keep giving. PAUL SIMON'S 'HOMELESS' CONTINUES Next ` everyone can be a star, and these are the people who prove it. We know they've just got the confidence, and we've got the confidence in them that they will be fantastic. It's hard enough to get up on stage for an audience for most of us, but imagine if you have a disability and may have suffered bullying or not treated the best at school. But it's not a fear preventing hundreds of kids performing their hearts out at StarJam concerts this weekend. StarJam is a charity that gives disabled kids the chance to show what they can really do. We sent Matt Chisholm to take a look. They're so often hidden away. Out of sight, out of mind. But tonight, right in amongst the hustle and bustle of central Auckland, these special performers are proudly taking centre stage. LADY GAGA'S 'BORN THIS WAY' PLAYS A lot of the jammers are used to being marginalised. They're used to being bullied. They're used to being belittled. They're used to people looking at them with really strange looks. # Baby, I was born this way. Hey. # But not today. APPLAUSE Give these guys half a chance and see what they can do, cos mostly they've never been given, like, any sort of chance at all. HOT CHELLE RAY'S 'TONIGHT TONIGHT' PLAYS These jammers are all members of StarJam, a charity that's been running a performing arts programme for disabled children for 10 years. The aim is to use music, song and dance to empower people,... # It's just me getting stronger. ...to turn those with disability in to top-notch performers. # I'm here to tell you that I'm OK. # And I'm pretty good operating my camera. < What about the drums? Oh! (LAUGHS) RAPS: # Close Up is one. Close Up is number two, yeah. Cos Close Up starts at 7 o'clock, yo. # < Hey, I liked the way you built Close Up into that. That was good. Yeah. Up there. 1000 K kids have now been involved with StarJam, with 300 currently climbing into at least one of 30 workshops a week in any one of four centres from Christchurch to Auckland in what's become a real community. These guys, some of them have been depressed; we know some have been suicidal; some of them never had friends before, a lot of them, and now they've got a whole bunch of friends. And not only do they have that in their life ` a place to belong ` but they can like do what most people dream of and be a rock star. Oh, and by crikey, it feels like home. I've just done a mov` I've just done a short movie ` The Tiger Sleeps. And it's starring me and Sophie and Adam. The woman who's making it all possible. I have no background of anything performance, but I do sing in the shower and boogy out. StarJam founder and CEO is Julie Bartlett (61). I have received marriage proposals even though I'm married. I get love texts. I would say what I have given is miniscule in comparison to what I have received from all of these people. The inspiration for StarJam came from Julie's late brother Ross, who had Down's syndrome, when he delivered a knockout speech at her wedding. And it was so full of emotion and feeling and love that it moved everyone to tears who was at our wedding, and afterwards people started treating Ross differently. It was like all of a sudden he was a real person. I just kept thinking, 'What can we do that we can make this happen for other people?' Just a couple of years later, StarJam was born. 'It's given me so many good opportunities that I would never be able to do without it.' So, like, earlier on this year, we met Taylor Swift, which is, like... she's pretty much, like, one of the biggest celebrities in the world, so that was pretty amazing. People think that we have some kind of insider in Hollywood or actually StarJam's based in America or things like that, but it's not. It's home grown in NZ. I was, like, 'Yeah, I'm meeting Taylor Swift.' Not only have the jammers mixed with Hollywood A-listers, like Swift, Justin Timberlake, Tom Cruise and Danny DeVito, you could argue they too are becoming stars in their own right. (RAPS) Check out Bucannon (23) freestyling with K R & B duo Adeaze. When Bucannon started, he was the shyest, quietest guy. He would stand; he would look into the corner; he wouldn't speak to anyone. Well, things have certainly changed. StarJam have brought that out in him, and that's all he talks about, you know. We can't afford to miss a class, because he'll just nag us to death all night. Bucannon, you could be the third person in the Adeaze band? Yeah, I am. I might try. I might do it one day. I might try that out. After 10 years of making a difference like this, after 10 years of 70 hours a week at the office, this seems highly appropriate. The 2012 Next Woman of the Year is... Julie Bartlett. I was surprised as all heck. The rest of us are, well, probably less surprised. How special is this lady over here ` Julie? She's wonderful, she is. For Julie, the work continues. This Sunday it's LiveJam ` StarJam's 10th birthday bash involving 250 disabled performers over two cities streaming live to the nation. This is a big leap doing, like, two shows absolutely simultaneously. Fingers crossed? Yeah. (CHUCKLES) However, we know that they've just got the confidence, and we've got the confidence in them that they will be fantastic. StarJam's 10th birthday event LiveJam is this Sunday at the Auckland Museum and Wellington Town Hall, and tickets start from just $10. We hear Auckland is almost sold out and Wellington is selling fast too, so get in quick if you want to head along. Hamiltonians and Cantabrians can also get in on the action by watching at their local Jam zone. You can also watch the show live on StarJam's website. Or text 'jam' to 3181 to donate. We have all those details on our website for you too. Feedback now, and on Monique's experience with CYF, you had this to say. Andrea says... Janette emails... Ian gets to the nub of the issue. He writes... And Wendy says... And the debate is underway on Facebook. Tracy posts this... Anna has this... But Robert makes another point... Now, we've all been told milk in schools is good. But has it turned sour for some? Children don't drink milk. The whole idea, the whole concept ` brilliant. We think it's too powdery now. I like it cos it's cold. The benefits to our kids have just been so much. A lot different to the fresh farm milk that I'm used to. Most of the classes do drink all the milk. If it was a smaller drink, more might drink it. Maybe a little more flavour. Yeah, chocolate. Milk's a food in itself ` why go and wreck it with chocolate? That's tomorrow night, and that's NZ Close Up. Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012