Plea to the New Zealand and Australian media

25 September 2007

We understand that the New Zealand and Australian public have taken Qian Xun into their hearts and there is a great deal of concern for her future.

Our concern, however, is that the most important person at this moment is Qian Xun and to ensure she feels safe and protected.

We plan to reunite her with her grandmother as soon as possible so that Qian Xun can be with a family member that she knows well, and who loves her.

Until that happens, Child, Youth and Family ask all of the Australasian media  - please do not actively pursue Qian Xun and her family. Please do not make this vulnerable young child face the full exposure of the media just for the sake of a photo, or a story.

We believe that Qian Xun and her grandmother, who have both suffered a massive loss, deserve our respect, not our intrusion.

Please allow them to find comfort in each other in private, until the family can decide their next steps.

In the meantime, Child, Youth and Family will undertake to make public as much information as we can without breaching the privacy of the family or compromising the police investigation.