Welcome to another week, one that’s bound to be buzzing with talk about the nation’s statutory inquiry into child sexual abuse, and its decision to hire a further 21 barristers to help run the investigation.
The move has upset victims and survivors of abuse, whilst those in the legal sector are welcoming the decision to get more legal minds on board. Those against this latest development fear a lawyer dominated inquiry will serve only the lawyers and deter victims from coming forward. Those in favour cite highly trained advocates helping out as a positive step in the fact-finding process.
And others, like ourselves, are not sure whether this latest reaction to yet more lawyers working on the inquiry is down to poor communication on the Panel’s part or a deep seated and perhaps legitimate mistrust of the legal sector. No mention of the decision was published on the Inquiry website or elsewhere prior to the national media, and only a select few channels reporting on the matter.
Our question to you then, is just this: do you feel the decision to hire more lawyers is a good one, or not?
Researching Reform 
Natasha, to employ more legal people is another way of shutting up the victims and do remember they have always been told or asked where is your evidence and you are out of time, no victims have a chance, all that is happening “In a child’s best interest” is to create more jobs and to hell with the poor kids who lost their childhoods families and their futures and even if they were paid a settlement no amount of money can give back what we all only have once in a life time and that is to live a happy life as a child and an adult, my god I wish I could speak on behalf of the victims then the bloody Governments would know truth of what they allow their army to do look at the recent info on Rolf Harris telling the world how good it is in Prison and he is now accussing the victims and writing songs this tells you how the paodophiles are getting away with all. Rotten British Governments with justice for them selfs only and for the celebs who are given knighthoods for sexually abusing the kids in care.
LikeLike
Hi Maggie, part of me is concerned. Not all barristers who work in this field have the necessary diplomacy or communication skills to work on this investigation. It will be interesting to see who they select, it will tell us a great deal about the current panel’s ‘character’ and temperament. If I see names of people who I know are excellent, I will feel less worried. Right now though, the Panel need to stop behaving like they’re not accountable. They are there to serve the nation and they should not be allowed to forget it.
LikeLike
One word Prevarication.
LikeLike
Thanks, Mike. I’d also like to know why the new website hasn’t been put up yet. I hope they haven’t shelved this much needed tech development in order to pay for more lawyers.
LikeLike
They are in danger of losing what little credibility they had to begin with.
LikeLike
21 Super expensive “wigs” and no deprived parents ! No surprises there then !
LikeLiked by 1 person
the kids need Michael Bailey Barrister from tanfield chambers he is the most wanted man in the uk and he does win many of his cases, he knows exactly the truth if Michael was the oe barrister then the governments would not need one other barrister Michael would be the voice for all of the kids who have suffered at the hands of the paedos social services celebs and governments
LikeLike
I strongly disagree with those who are expressing concern at the reported decision of the statutory inquiry to enlarge its terms. The move indicates that a large number if witnesses have come forward to provide evidence of the cover up which has become the main focus of the inquiry.
Over the past year I have tried to explain the great misunderstanding there has been about the purpose and role of the inquiry in relation to the other important processes that have progressed.
1. From the outset it is the responsibility of the police and prosecution service to pursue specific allegations against individual perpetrators through the courts where the evidence, the public and national interest justifies action irrespective of who the individual is. In this respect I agree that the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions in relation to Lord Janner was not just wrong but greatly damaging to what the Coalition Government with Opposition support was attempting to achieve..
2 The original purpose of the original inquiry was to establish what had happened since 1970 across another of organisations, religions and authorities and to make recommendations for short and longer term action..
-Over the past 2 years knowledge of what happened and its extent has increased although an important function for the inquiry is to collate all the information, to establish links and where the evidence indicates any connections and any conspiracies involving perpetrators and those engage in covering up from wrong and in some instances criminal reasons. The creation of a multi function database and time line has been attempted by “lay” enthusiasts but such is the scale of what has happened that only a body with substantial human and technical resources could hope to achieve what is now required.
-the decision to move back from the original 1970’s was important as it is not possible to evaluate what happened post 1970 without understanding the legal and administrative framework, the level of training, individual competence and general practice before the creation of Children’s Departments 1948-1971 as well as understanding the myths about what was achieved during the Children’s Department era.
-It was also a mistake to concentrate exclusively on crimes of a sexual national against children and vulnerable adults and the disclosures about Medomsley short sharp shock young offenders institution in County Durham, former approved schools and subsequent community homes with education on the premises underline the need to look at crimes committed against children and vulnerable adults which involves physical as well as sexual violence as the two are frequently connected..
it the scope of the inquiry also widened when evidence emerged of the role of security services, the use of blackmail, undercover agents and informants with involves Jersey and other island and yachting fraternity, and perhaps the most disturbing and worrying aspect, the involvement of the security services and their agents in Northern Ireland in relation to the “peace “process and where Kincora is just one aspect. The Home Secretary established a separate judicial inquiry into the role of the use of undercover officers which will inevitably spill over into the Northern Ireland situation and the statutory child care inquiry.
3 It is likely that the Inquiry members quickly appreciated that is impossible to come up with recommendations not previously made and previously discredited made without first understanding the nature of the problem and where the emphasise on paedophiles has been totally misguided.
-the recent debate in the House of Lords June 2 on the position of women, widows and girls in the developing world, their killing torturing rape and exploitation is crucial to understanding the present position and where the dominance of maleness and servitude of femaleness particularly within most religions has been and remains a key factor
– the role of the internet is a separate and important factor but only one aspect of the wider problem which has existed throughout human time.
-Any reviews of all the reviews that have taken place since 1971 will underline the uselessness of these. The best example is the the decision of the Labour Government post 1997 to abolish child poverty by law in the UK just as the economic ignorance of Gordon brown led him to believe he had abolished boom and bust in capitalism.
– in fairness to the former Coalition government they have announced a raft of measures to try and ameliorate the present situation although Labour attempt to do likewise when it discovered the nature and extent of the problem coming to power in 1997. Government awareness that what was being done is no more than sticking plaster on a festering open wound plus the using austerity to abolish as much public managed and organised service as possible explains the limited extra expenditure compared to extra £450 million with Labour allocated over 3 years when they came to power but which helped without solving the problem. Similarly the removal of child care and protection services into a dedicated service separate from adult social services and with the Education remit in 2006 could not and did not of itself change much in terms of the training quality and competence of the individual practitioners and their management
– the proposal to establish an institute for the study of the problem and its solution is welcome, building on the work of the Lucy Faithfull Foundation in particular and other existing work world wide as long as it is understood that there will be no significant progress without tackling the way maleness treats femaleness, adults view and treat their own children, religions see their god as male and femaleness combined and adjust their teachings and practice and all organisations including government understand that it is impossible to achieve lasting and effective change for better from without unless you start not just with a new organisations but you recruit only those who understand, are committed and competent to the task in hand
4 The problem as I have perceived from victim survivors is that they were led to believe that the original inquiry would deal with living perpetrators and would be principally concerned with what had happened to them individually. If the inquiry is now to deal with individual cases and whoever is on the new advisory panel is bound to recommend, this then you will need an appropriate legal workforce to take through victim survivors in their presentation of what happened, especially if there is going to ongoing media attention at presentation in public.
In conclusion the enlargement of the legal and administrative workforce became essential as the scope and work to be covered increased and also concern was expressed at the number of years this would all take probably eight to ten before all the police work and court processes have been completed
LikeLike
Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
LikeLike
well that depends on your prospective, if your a pedo and the net is closing then certainly, maybe double that, after all tax payers will pick it up.
if you genuinely want justice and the infilterators of all these systems then no no no theres enough profiting from abusing victims. isnt it about time the abuse of these people finally stop so they can at least start the healing process
LikeLike
I welcome the detailed contribution of artmanjosephgrech.
New police guidelines mandating a ‘presumption of truthfulness’ of victim and witness abuse crime disclosures were introduced by former Director of Public Prosecution Sir Keir Starmer – against a backdrop of widespread complacency.
Psychiatry, Psychology, Social Work, Judiciary need to follow – the ‘Discourse of Disbelief’ continues to be proffered.
Involvement of Barristers in this enquiry hopefully ‘upskills’ more legal professionals thus furthering a better understanding how poor current legislation and practice is. For example the legal basis for Forced Adoption is a key incentive for the ‘gaming’ of Family Court proceedings. Abusers take their chances to stage ‘unbelievable’ sexual assaults knowing that feeble and/or compromised ‘professionals’ will shield them.
Institutions such as the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) tend to accept ‘trumped up’ complaints against advocates of abuse victims but reject Fitness to Practice concerns against Court Appointed Experts (unless ‘permitted’ by the judiciary – that hand-picked the ‘hired guns’ in the first place) .
All institutions remain extremely vulnerable to infiltration. Extreme abuse networks still got the upper hand and remain virtually undisturbed.
it is important for individual abuse victims to be listened to by family, friends and professionals – ‘bearing witness’ to their disclosures.
Mental health professionals need to wake up to the facts of life – the nature of traumatic memories as already outlined by Pierre Janet, and recently rediscovered by Judith Hermann, Frank Putnam, Onno van der Hart, Ellert Nienthuis and Kathy Steele.
LikeLike
Reblogged this on tummum's Blog.
LikeLike
Surely the wheel doesn’t need to be reinvented and other inquiries such as the Australian RC should be looked at to draw inspiration (best practice) from. My answer to the question is to question “how many lawyers does it take to hold a CSA inquiry.” … Apparently a lot! But how does this empower survivors and give them a voice which surely should be the aim of any inquiry that seeks to both investigate and help!?
LikeLike