This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Apology for victims of institutional care abuse
01/12/2004
The Scottish Parliament has heard a 'sincere and full
apology' made to all people who suffered abuse and neglect
while in institutional care in the past.
First Minister Jack McConnell told MSPs said that the
victims, now grown to adulthood, had been badly wronged and
deserved full recognition of what had happened to them.
The people of Scotland had, the FM said, a duty 'to
address episodes in our history in which we can take no
pride'.
The abuse was physical, emotional and sexual and
occurred in the very places where they hoped to find love,
care and protection and it was 'deplorable, unacceptable
and inexcusable'.
The courts in Scotland are currently in the process of
considering a number of cases brought by alleged victims of
abuse.
Full statement by the First Minister
Presiding Officer, with your permission I wish to make a
brief statement in advance of this afternoon's debate.
I want to speak on one subject which should unite us,
whatever opinions might be expressed in the debate which
follows.
I have said often that I am proud to be First Minister
of Scotland. I think I speak for everyone when I say that
we take pride in our young people.
I believe we are the best small country in the world and
I take pride in the way that Scotland has made, and will
continue to make, a huge contribution to the world.
But we also have a duty to address those episodes in our
history in which we can take no pride.
It is clear that some children were abused in Scottish
residential care homes in the past.
Children suffered physical, emotional and sexual abuse
in the very places that they hoped to find love, care and
protection.
Those children, adults today, deserve full recognition
by us of what happened to them then. They should not have
been abused. They were badly wronged.
Such abuse of vulnerable young people whenever or
wherever it took place is deplorable, unacceptable and
inexcusable.
Members will be aware that there are litigations
currently before the courts, in which these issues are
being examined. Those proceedings will establish, in
accordance with the law, where responsibility lies, and
what should happen as a result.
It would be inappropriate for me to say anything which
would cut across the work of the courts, and that is not my
purpose here today.
Presiding Officer, we should be grateful to those who,
despite their pain, have brought these matters to our
attention. And I am grateful to Michael McMahon and the
Petitions Committee for sponsoring the debate we will hold
this afternoon.
Because of the bravery of those who have suffered abuse,
we now know much more about the propensities of some
members of our society to abuse children.
There is now a much greater awareness in our society
that such abuse of young people did happen, and we know
that without the vigilance of all of us, including
government and its associated agencies and authorities, it
could happen again.
It is that recognition of the potential for abuse that
has led to alterations to the statutory and regulatory
structure in which establishments operate and how we
monitor them.
It would be a mistake for us to try to fit all that
happened in the past into the framework of our own
knowledge and experience today, but some things are and
always have been wrong.
Now that we know what has happened, it falls to us as
representatives of the Scottish people to acknowledge it.
It is for this generation of the people of Scotland to say
quite clearly that it was unacceptable that young people
were abused. And it was appalling that they were abused by
those trusted with their welfare.
That is why today I offer a sincere and full apology on
behalf of the people of Scotland, to those who were subject
to such abuse and neglect; who did not receive the level of
love, care and support that they deserved and who have
coped with that burden all of their lives.
I know that MSPs of all parties are committed to do all
we can to ensure no child or young person currently in
residential establishments in Scotland suffers abuse.
That is why we are ensuring that inspection, regulation
and standards are in place to prevent, detect and deal with
abuse. And we are all anxious to do the right thing by the
survivors of past abuse.
In the Committee debate that follows this statement,
Peter Peacock will set out the proposals that we have been
developing with survivors of abuse to support them more
effectively in a range of ways and to examine the
background of what happened to them.
Presiding Officer, Scotland should be proud of the
contribution that survivors of abuse have made to ensuring
Scotland today is a better and safer place in the future.
They are truly remarkable people who have suffered in ways
no one should ever have to suffer.
From today I hope they can continue to move forward in
their lives certain in the knowledge that we in this
Parliament, on behalf of the people of Scotland, recognise
they were wronged and that we will do more to support them
in the future than we have ever done in the past.