Abuse Survivor: Inquiry Will "Lead to Deaths"

By Tom Parmenter
Sky News
July 9, 2015

http://news.sky.com/story/1515660/abuse-survivor-inquiry-will-lead-to-deaths

Esther Baker says she was abused by men as a child while police stood guard

Despite promises that the Goddard Inquiry into child sexual abuse will cause no further harm, survivor Esther Baker has spoken of her fears that the process may compound some people's suffering.

Ms Baker spoke exclusively to Sky News in May, alleging that she suffered sexual abuse throughout her childhood and was raped by VIPs in Staffordshire in the 80s and 90s - occasionally she said uniformed police officers stood guard.

Her allegations are now part of an active police investigation.

The inquiry has now formally opened with its chair, New Zealand judge Lowell Goddard, outlining the guiding principles that will shape it.

Ms Baker was one of the survivors who was involved in the early stages of the inquiry but she has since withdrawn after becoming disillusioned with the process.

Writing exclusively for Sky News, she explained what she would like to see the Goddard Inquiry achieve: "It's simple really. I'd like the inquiry to get to the truth of why so many children like myself have been allowed to be raped and abused and become a throwaway commodity to the rich and famous.

"I'd like them to find real and achievable ways to prevent this happening to our future children. In reality, I don't think it will.

"I think that it will cost a fortune - make some lawyers rich and famous. Undoubtedly they will say lessons have been learned from a select few cases that they look into, but the vast majority of survivors will be left unheard, unseen, and in many cases more traumatised by the inquiry than they are helped.

"The inquiry, (the) hope and passion that it held when it was first announced, has dropped away to reveal yet another highly legalised, intimidating - and to be frank - unsafe farce in its place.

"I don't want to see other survivors go through the same hell that I have been through in the last seven months with the inquiry - and I am scared for the people who will lose their lives due to inadequate safeguarding over this inquiry's span.

"As it stands, this inquiry is going to lead to deaths. But we're just numbers to them."