UNITED KINGDOM
The Independent
TOM BROOKS-POLLOCK Thursday 09 July 2015
Almost exactly a year ago, home secretary Theresa May announced the creation of an independent panel to look into allegations of historical sexual abuse.
It will look at claims of abuse – some against high-profile figures – and its alleged cover-up by councils, the courts, schools, the church, the BBC and the Army, by assessing whether these institutions failed in their duty of care to protect children.
On Thursday, the inquiry finally opens, chaired by Justice Lowell Goddard, a judge from New Zealand. But the inquiry has been an almost constant headache for Mrs May.
Two proposed chairs – Baroness Butler-Sloss and Fiona Woolf – stood down amid criticism that there were too close to the Establishment, and the process has been beset by delays and wrangling over the terms of reference.
Opening the inquiry in London on Thursday, Justice Goddard said: “We want to hear from any individuals who were sexually abused as children in an institutional setting such as a care home, school or religious institution, anyone who reported abuse to a person in authority such as a police officer, social worker or teacher where the abuse was ignored or not properly acted upon.”
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