Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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A group of people at
the centre of the Salvation Amy abuse scandal is welcoming a decision by a government
agency to investigate their claims. The former state wards
have been asking Child, Youth and Family to intervene for months. But its inquiry won't
deal with complaints from alleged victims who were not state wards. Eighty-four year old
Jack (who's surname is not revealed) says good gardening is the one positive
thing says he learned from his time in a Salvation Army children's home Beyond that he says he
learned only of people's capacity for cruelty. "I'm good today. I
haven't broken down 'cos I haven't started talking about what they did to me
but if you start questioning me and bringing up my past then I get all
emotional," he says. One News first revealed
four months ago the abuse Jack suffered as a state ward at a boys' home in
Waikato. He's disappointed he's
not yet had an apology from the Salvation Army and hopes Child, Youth and
Family's invesitgation will change that. Child, Youth and Family
says it's received 31 complaints from former state wards alleging physical
and sexual abuse in Salvation Army homes. They span 50 years from
the 1920s to the 1970s. Child, Youth and Family
has appointed a team of five invesitgators. But there are dozens
more people who weren't state wards and who say they too were abused as
children in Salvation Army care. They've been asking the
government to initiate an independent inquiry for months and say they're upset
that Tuesday's announcement won't help them. The Salvation Army did
not even know about the Child, Youth and Family investigation until told by
One News. It is continuing its
own inquiries but many victims say that's not good enough. "These people, although
they're supposed to be religious, they're pretty cunning in my eyes,"
says Jack He says sons can't
be blamed for their father's sins, but "the sooner the Salvation Army
admits what happened in the past, the better". |