Child sex abuse inquiry to hold first public hearings after controversy

[Stinky Fingers]

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse will hold its
first public hearings into the child migration programmes on
Monday morning.

The child migration programmes were large-scale schemes in which
thousands of children, many of them in the care of the state,
were migrated to parts of the British Empire by various
institutions in England and Wales, with the knowledge and
approval of the British government.

Most of the children were sent to Canada, Australia, New Zealand
and what was then Southern Rhodesia, modern-day Zimbabwe.

The child migration programmes are a case study which is part of
the Inquiry's protection of children outside the United Kingdom
investigation.

In numbers | Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
£17.9m IICSA budget 2015/2016
155 staff members hired to date
3 resignations of inquiry heads
188 core participants in the inquiry
13 separate historic abuse investigations carried out by the
inquiry
2,200 Communications from members of the public; many making
allegations of abuse
35,000 documents being analysed by the inquiry’s legal team

Source: IICSA transcript July 2016

The Inquiry will hear from a number of former child migrants who
have alleged they suffered sexual abuse in relation to their
migration.

Evidence will be heard from expert witnesses about the history
and context of the child migration programmes and from the Child
Migrants Trust, which supports former child migrants.

About | Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Set up:7 July 2014 by then-Home Secretary Theresa May

Duration:Up to six years - possibly longer

Led by:Professor Alexis Jay – a former social worker who helped
expose the Rotherham abuse scandal. She is the fourth head of
the inquiry

Remit:To investigate whether institutions and organisations have
taken seriously their duty of care to protect children from
sexual abuse in England and Wales. These include:

local authorities
the police
the Crown Prosecution Service
the Immigration Service
the BBC
the armed forces
schools
hospitals
children’s homes
churches, mosques and other religious organisations
charities and voluntary organisations

“I am committed to ensuring this Inquiry does everything it has
set out to do and does so with pace, with confidence and with
clarity.”

- Professor Alexis Jay

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/27/child-sex-abuse-
inquiry-hold-first-public-hearings-controversy/