People "poking their noses in" and taking responsibility if they were worried about a child's safety is one way of tackling this country's shameful record of child abuse and neglect, Children's Commissioner John Angus says.
Child abuse was not confined to "incredibly dysfunctional" homes in big cities, and all communities needed to take responsibility for the problem, Dr Angus told about 60 people who attended a twilight remembrance ceremony held near Alexandra on Saturday, to honour the victims of child abuse.
"We can do better and we owe it to those children who have died, to do better," he said.
The country's record of child abuse and neglect was "shameful".
"We can't leave it up to organisations like Child, Youth and Family and expect them to solve it. Do we expect prisons to solve crime, or hospitals to keep us all healthy?"
All of the children who had died as a result of abuse had an adult in their extended family who "loved them to bits", who cared about them and who had been worried about their care.
The tragedy was that often people failed to act when they knew children were unsafe, he said.
He urged families, friends and neighbours to "step up" and "poke their noses in" if they were concerned about the standard of any child's care or safety.
Dr Angus, who lives at Lowburn, was one of several speakers at the service.
Coal Creek resident and Otago regional councillor Gerry Eckhoff said this country had strict rules about food safety, road safety and consumer rights but rules alone did not protect children.
Changing attitudes was the only way to protect the most vulnerable sector of society.
Central Otago Mayor Malcolm Macpherson said it was important to look at local solutions to the problem, rather than relying on people elsewhere to sort it out.
Several victims of child abuse spoke about their experiences.
Young singers and musicians also took centre stage at the event, with almost five hours of entertainment.
The event began with a karakia and concluded with a candlelight ceremony.
It was organised by a committee of seven Central Otago people.
One of them, Vicky Whyte, of Roxburgh, said she was disappointed at the low attendance, but "we're not giving up - it'll be on again next year".
