Child sexual abuse inquiry: a road to justice?
Author(s): Natalie Csengeri
Source: Socialist Lawyer , No. 70 (June 2015), p. 7
Published by: Pluto Journals
Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13169/socialistlawyer.70.0007
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SL70_pp4-11_news.qxp 06/06/2015 23:09 Page 7
News&Comment
Child sexual abuse happened, but which goes
beyond relegating institutional
failures as a black-and-white
inquiry: a road to justice? photo of a barbaric not-too-
distant past. She called for a
report that connects lessons
learned to the current system,
O
n 24th March 2015, in a accountable, not just those who and which recognises the
heavily packed Haldane commit crimes”. perpetuation of an abusive
human rights lecture at Elizabeth Woodcraft called power dynamic.
London Met, three speakers for survivors to have a strong Phil Frampton, born in care
voiced their concerns and hopes voice in the inquiry rather than where he remained until age 18,
for the Goddard Inquiry. the current setup of a Victims told of the oppression of children
Alison Millar, a solicitor at and Survivors Consultative as a Barnado’s boy. “We were
Leigh Day who is representing a Panel, which only operates in told we were liars… they tried to
number survivors in the inquiry; parallel to the main inquiry panel change our memories”.
Elizabeth Woodcraft, a barrister (on the basis of Lowell Although he counts the statutory
who has a wealth of experience Goddard’s baffling conclusion inquiry under the Inquiries Act
in the law relating to inquiries; that having survivors on the 2005 as a victory, as it gives the
and Phil Frampton, a care leaver inquiry panel would be inquiry the power compel
survivor and founding chair of inconsistent with objectivity and witnesses and criminalises the
the Care Leavers Association, impartiality). Woodcraft concealment of evidence,
brought together a panoply of proposed an alternative survivor- Frampton called it “an inquiry
insight into the sexual abuse of led panel, with access to all with teeth but a panel with no
children failed by UK relevant information from state bite.” Frampton further criticised
institutions. and non-state institutions about the width of the inquiry, both in
Alison Millar called for a how they adhered or failed to geographically and in terms of
rigorous and transparent inquiry. adhere to their duty to protect scope, calling it not a cover-up
States, but shied away from its She criticised the Independent children. Most of all, Woodcraft but a ‘smother-up’. Noting the
social and economic rights Police Complaints Commission’s pushed for a report that not only conflicts of interest of the current
reading, which would site it as a separate ‘managed inquiry’, gets to the bottom of what panel (which includes members
weapon to be wielded in economic which is dealing with police of Barnado’s) and the failure to
battles against employers. Clearly corruption in hidden or halted investigate the insurers of local
it is the employers’ intention to investigations of child abuse. authorities who suppressed facts
place some limit on the ‘political’ Millar compared the ‘soul- of child abuse out of commercial
element of strike action, but it is searching’ of the police and CPS interest, Frampton said that
not yet clear where they will take following the Savile inquiry (as “…those with conflicts of
this line of argument. On balance, to how an abuser could hide in interest will never look in the
however, we can read the plain sight) with the fiasco of darkest of corners because they
developments from the February replacing the panel chair twice might see themselves there.”
2015 meeting at the ILO as a very because Baroness Butler-Sloss However, Frampton,
positive swing of global support in and Dame Fiona Woolf were too addressing a room filled with
favour of the protection of a key close to the establishment. In many survivors, called for
international right, and this is of addition to prosecutions for the survivors to organise and to feed
course something that workers can abusers. Millar also hopes that information to the inquiry.
welcome. attention is turned towards those Singing the praises of solidarity
Daniel Blackburn is Director of the in management positions who and the hard work of survivors,
International Centre for Trade Union turned a blind eye. She explained as Frampton put it: “The only
Rights in London and Editor of that: “justice means those who reason it has got this far is us”.
)NTERNATIONAL 5NION 2IGHTS journal. look on and do nothing are held Natalie Csengeri
May
20: A German court agreed to hear 23: Former Court of Appeal judges 23: At a special High Court hearing, an 1: More than 100 judges, peers and
evidence from victims of the United speak out: Sir Alan Moses slammed the Election Commissioner ordered that lawyers write an open letter calling for
States’s drone attacks in Yemen in a government over legal aid cuts, saying Luftur Rahman had breached election the new government to restore legal
case brought by Reprieve and the “depriving people who need help rules and should be removed from aid. Signatories included a number of
European Center for Constitutional and degrades our system and degrades us office as mayor of Tower Hamlets. The the Haldane Society’s vice-presidents
Human Rights. The claimants are trying all”, while Sir Anthony Hooper called for judgement was read by many to and called for halts to ongoing cuts,
to stop Germany from allowing the US lawyers to walk out if a Tory government include racist and Islamophobic and the restoration of access to justice.
to use its airbases for illegal drone was elected for a second term. comments against the Bangladeshi
warfare. community.
Socialist Lawyer June 2015 7
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