After the disappointing news that yet another Inquiry Chair is leaving the role, racking up the total to three failed Chairmanships, reasons for Lowell Goddard’s departure are now starting to emerge.
In a full statement released this morning, Lowell Goddard blames the Inquiry’s “legacy of failure’ which she said, had been “very hard to shake off”.
You can read the letter in full, below:
“I announce with regret my decision to resign as chair of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, effective from today.
When I was first approached through the British High Commissioner in Wellington in late 2014, and asked to consider taking up the role, I had to think long and hard about it.
After carefully discussing the matter with the home secretary and her officials and seeking the counsel of those people in New Zealand whose opinions mattered to me, I decided that I should undertake the role, given my relevant experience and track record in the area.
It was, however, an incredibly difficult step to take, as it meant relinquishing my career in New Zealand and leaving behind my beloved family.
The conduct of any public inquiry is not an easy task, let alone one of the magnitude of this. Compounding the many difficulties was its legacy of failure which has been very hard to shake off and with hindsight it would have been better to have started completely afresh.
While it has been a struggle in many respects, I am confident there have been achievements and some very real gains for victims and survivors of institutional child sexual abuse in getting their voices heard.
I have nothing but the greatest of respect for the victims and survivors and have particularly enjoyed working with the Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel which I established.”
As Goddard points out, and as we mention in our previous post, the Inquiry must refocus and put in place an altogether more open and functional strategy. We will be writing an article in due course on how they might do this.
debdahvibez said:
Sick to death of the whole thing – they’re either looking into the future or else investigating the past – nothing being done to address the issues of NOW: On average 200 ‘cared-for’ babies under age 1, go ‘missing’ from Social Service records, along with 2,000 children: What has HAPPENED to those children? http://europe.newsweek.com/thousands-missing-children-care-system-could-be-sexually-exploited-311607
LikeLiked by 1 person
Grant said:
Looking at past failings provides a road map for future successes or “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. “
LikeLike
Maggie Tuttle said:
Knowing how governments work we the plebs are led to believe that enquiries will be on going, but then what happens is exactly as now with the Goddard case, look at the Lambeth enquiry that also went no where and so did the rest such as Janner and Macur, now if we were talking about Banks and the financial world boy there would be big time enquiries but then kids abused in care is also big time money, but a pleb child a nothing to governments only little dollies to abuse and money and no case to answer, I would say that the enquiries will go on and on and on and on till all of the abusers are DEAD and the victims have no chance. Again I will say if I knew about Savil and one other celeb who recently walked away, and I was told 30 odd years ago Scotland yard knew all then how come all of these bloody inquiries continue at a great cost to the tax payers,
ALL THAT IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN IS THE KIDS FROM CARE CONTINUE TO BE ABUSED BY GOVERNMETS AND KIDS DISAPEAR THEN MORE MONEY FOR THE AGENCIES AND THE LIKES OF GODDARD,
And as the world has always known the British people are Lambs to the slaughter, but now it is the children to the slaughter for money money money and to abuse the kids in every way then get rid of the kids who are the victims. I think it is time the police who do know all should do their job correctly even if it means losing their jobs at least kids could get support, but it will never happen until all in Parliament and the Lords are dead and family courts closed down and the bloody pensioners who are suppose to be the judges also go to hell.
LikeLike
Maggie Tuttle said:
NOTHING IS CLEARER THEN WHAT THE LAWS SAY ON THE SALE OF CHILDREN AS WRITTEN HERE, AND THE WORLD GOES AGAINST IT READ ARTICLE 2 A
Article 1
States Parties shall prohibit the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography as provided for by the present Protocol.
Article 2
For the purposes of the present Protocol:
(a) Sale of children means any act or transaction whereby a child is transferred by any person or group of persons to another for remuneration or any other consideration;
(b) Child prostitution means the use of a child in sexual activities for remuneration or any other form of consideration;
(c) Child pornography means any representation, by whatever means, of a child engaged in real or simulated explicit sexual activities or any representation of the sexual parts of a child for primarily sexual purposes.
Article 3
1. Each State Party shall ensure that, as a minimum, the following acts and activities are fully covered under its criminal or penal law, whether such offences are committed domestically or transnationally or on an individual or organized basis:
(a) In the context of sale of children as defined in article 2:
(i) Offering, delivering or accepting, by whatever means, a child for the purpose of:
a. Sexual exploitation of the child;
b. Transfer of organs of the child for profit;
c. Engagement of the child in forced labour;
This information on the rights of a child I sent to the world 2 years ago and as to date nothing our children are still being sold by the agencies and at the same time creating millions of jobs, if unemployment is high in the UK then why are the agencies advertising BIG TIME for social workers from Rumania
LikeLike
debdahvibez said:
I forgot to mention that the figure of 2,000 children & babies going missing from SS Records is PER YEAR.
LikeLike
Grant said:
Okay I am going to dissect what she says here.
1) “I decided that I should undertake the role, given my relevant experience and track record in the area.”
Say again? What experience? You come from the only commonwealth country that has refused to hold a public inquiry into CSA or any other form of child abuse… Presumably the relevant experience you speak of was gained outside of New Zealand.
2) “It was, however, an incredibly difficult step to take, as it meant relinquishing my career in New Zealand.”
C’mon you were being paid 350,000 quid (638,945.58 NZD) a year plus 10,000 quid (18,257.57 NZD) accommodation allowance (over 650,000 NZD). How much does a judge make in New Zealand each year? Although this perhaps explains why you needed that holiday and have taken 70 days off.
3) “Compounding the many difficulties was its legacy of failure which has been very hard to shake off and with hindsight it would have been better to have started completely afresh.”
It’s not my fault and I leave you with this.
4) “I have nothing but the greatest of respect for the victims and survivors and have particularly enjoyed working with the Victims and Survivors Consultative Panel which I established.”
But not enough respect to stand with you throughout nor not enough respect to fight for your right to have an inclusive role in the inquiry.
Aghhhhhhhh !!!!!
Okay next please. But seriously my heart goes out to the UK survivors who now have had yet another major setback. Strike 3.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dana said:
Hmmm. Nothing to do with the 74 days out of the UK then?
Such a shame that this kind of investigation is, to paraphrase a Bond Villain, a kite flying in a hurricane!
I think we should just accept the claims made and focus on the here and now. I’m beginning to think these kind of set backs are deliberately designed to make the general population want to close them down!
LikeLike
Maggie Tuttle said:
I named the organisation as CHILDREN SCREAMING TO BE HEARD the silent witnesses and here lies the truth and the silent witnesses will go on and on and when the abused little kids become adults and try to speak out they are still the silent witnesses. There is no ONE IN GOVERNMENTS who will stand up and speak out for the kids abused in care,
LikeLike
Grant said:
Yup this seems about right given Goddard’s few worded I quit but blame you and Theresa May’s we willingly accept (thank you) response,
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3727441/Child-abuse-inquiry-judge-Dame-Lowell-Goddard-did-not-resign-sacked-legal-sources-reveal.html
Child abuse inquiry judge Dame Lowell Goddard did not resign – she was ‘sacked’, legal sources reveal
“The final straw was the disclosure – prompted in part by questions from this newspaper – that in her first year in the job, she spent 30 days on leave and 44 days supposedly ‘working’ in Australia, although in all that time she held only two meetings with members of a child abuse inquiry underway there. A Home Office spokeswoman last night insisted it was ‘her decision’ to offer her resignation. But asked whether this had been suggested to Dame Lowell by officials because her position was becoming untenable, she refused to comment.”
Sorry folks but I did warn you haha. Dodgy Goddard lacks integrity. In this case the leopard didn’t change her spots.
LikeLike
maureenjenner said:
This is a toxic subject with a high fall out of casualties – the greatest casualties being the victims. The winners are always going to be the exploiters while the current Establishment holds the power. Ordinary people are mere fodder to satisfy the appetites of the powerful. It is a sad fact that even the best intentions of those who enter the hierarchical system for the best of reasons, founder on the rocks of ambition. The road to hell is littered with them, while their lifestyles soar into the stratosphere.
LikeLike
daveyone1 said:
Reblogged this on World4Justice : NOW! Lobby Forum..
LikeLike