A LEADING campaigner for victims of abuse in Scotland’s children’s homes has died just weeks before ministers are due to unveil the remit of a long-awaited public inquiry into the scandal.

Elizabeth McWilliams, who was in her late 70s, was left traumatised by her childhood in care and had been actively involved in the support group In Care Abuse Survivors (Incas). She passed away earlier this month in her home in Glasgow after many years suffering from ill-health.

Friends say it is a tragedy she did not live long enough to see the statutory inquiry she had long campaigned for get under way.

Alan Draper, parliamentary officer for Incas, told The National: “It is very, very sad that Elizabeth has passed away.

“She was a very active member of Incas, had previously been on its committee and spoken many times to the media about her experiences in care.

“She was involved for many years in the campaign and it is tragic she didn’t see her hard work come to fruition.

“Elizabeth had suffered terribly in care, and what she went through was a life-long battle. She struggled with what happened, but showed immense courage and fought bravely for survivors to seek justice.”

Draper said she was not the only survivor to pass away in recent weeks, and that another member of the group, who had never spoken out publicly about his abuse, died earlier this year.

He added the age profile of the group’s members added a sense of urgency to the campaign.

“Many of our members are getting older and are in poor health. For years we have been saying to the Scottish Government: ‘You need to do something now,’ to acknowledge how so many people have suffered and repair some of the damage before more survivors pass away,” he said.

The mother of four had spoken out to newspapers and broadcasters about the sexual and physical abuse she suffered at Quarriers Children’s Village in Bridge of Weir between 1939 and 1954.

She told one newspaper: “I’ve lived in a world of silence and shame to suit society. I would like to leave this world without the pain I’ve got. Give me the apology I deserve for the atrocities I’ve suffered. I want closure once and for all. This is a period of shame in Scotland’s history.”

The former auxiliary nurse had an older sister, Margaret, and older brother, James, as well as a twin brother, Archie. Only Archie was taken into care with her, but she was not told about him or other members of her family until she was older. In 2007 she said: “I was an innocent child in care. I went in with my twin brother, but I never even knew he existed.

“My father paid eight shillings a week for my keep, but I was told I was this unwanted, unloved orphan. Animals were better treated than us. I was only a child of five, and I was scrubbing. I didn’t know what a doll was. I didn’t have anyone. My whole life has been ruined, to this very day.”

She began to seek answers for what happened to her after her husband died in 2003.

Last December the Scottish Government announced a statutory inquiry into historic abuse in children’s homes. Education secretary Angela Constance is due to unveil the remit of the inquiry this month following consultation meetings with survivors and care home providers.

The inquiry is expected to investigate abuse in children’s homes, residential schools and religious orders in Scotland dating back decades.

Former First Minister Jack McConnell apologised to children who were abused while in care in a key statement he gave to the Scottish Parliament in 2004.

After this, an investigation was carried out by Tom Shaw, a former chief inspector of education and training in Northern Ireland. His report, published in 2007, estimated about 1,000 children were physically or sexually abused in the country’s care homes from 1950 to 1995.

Chris Daly, a former resident of Nazareth House, in Aberdeen, first made the demand for a public inquiry at Holyrood’s petitions committee in 2002. Subsequent petitions followed, and at one point survivors – frustrated at what they saw as a lack of Scottish Government action – marched down the Royal Mile to Holyrood. In response to the campaign, ministers decided to set up a national confidential forum where former residents could tell a panel about their experiences. However, while some victims embraced it, others were disappointed with the forum’s limited powers.

A judicial inquiry into historic abuse in children’s homes was set up in Northern Ireland last year, and Scots survivors were disappointed that no similar moves had been made in Scotland.

A spokesperson for the

Scottish Government said: “Ministers were saddened to hear of the recent deaths of the two members of Incas. We are committed to supporting survivors of abuse through a range of measures, including the establishment of a national public inquiry. Having listened to survivors the Education Secretary committed to a statutory Inquiry and further engagement with survivors before determining the terms of reference and leadership and she expects to update parliament by the end of the month. The views of survivors... are currently being considered, including the issue of timescale.”