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Allegations of Abuse
in Institutions |
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Harrowing stories of physical and
sexual abuse have been revealed in a report detailing the experiences of
hundreds of psychiatric patients over the last 50 years. The confidential forum took almost
two years and heard from around 500 former patients and their families. Former patients talked of being
scarred for life after being forced to sleep in large dormitories with beds
close together, and spending days locked in dirty, noisy, smoke-filled day
rooms infested with cockroaches and rats. They also spoke of no doors on
toilets, and being forced to line up naked and hosed down before showering or
taking a bath in cold water, which had already been used by others. Moreover, there were serious
allegations of violence. "I was grabbed by the hair
put in a headlock and then I was beaten 'til I was unconscious," says a
former patient. Sexual misconduct was also
reported, including rape by staff and other patients. The patients, institutionalised
between the1940s and the early 1990s, were often exposed to
electro-convulsive therapy (ECT) which some say robbed them of skills and
memories. "They referred to longer term
affects of memory loss, particularly distressful to mothers returning to
their families with serious gaps in memory," says forum chairman Judge
Patrick Mahoney. Those who do remember conditions
in institutions such as Carrington, Oakely, Porirua, Seacliffe and Kimberly,
say they were alarming. Consequently patients were left feeling
terrified, abandoned and confused. The government hopes the report,
which was released on Thursday, will lead to greater understanding. "Their own stories, their
experiences and their memories were being given official weight in a way that
had not happened before," says Attorney General Michael Cullen. The government says it is too
early to consider compensation or an official apology. Neither is being ruled
out but ministers say the report is about healing and recognition and that
talk of money will come later.
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