Boarding schools have escaped real reform, says one victim of abuse, while Dr Bernard Gallagher calls out the austerity-driven crisis in child protection, and Emily Aklan calls for a ban on harmful handcuffing
I am a boarding school survivor and, after more than 50 years of silence, a witness to the Truth Project that was set up as part of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA). It’s good to see the inquiry’s recommendations, especially on mandatory reporting and a redress scheme that will help some, although not me (Inquiry calls for new offence in England and Wales of failing to report child abuse, 20 October).
But it is disappointing that elite institutions and their abusive culture will once again escape real reform. There’s no recommendation on ending early boarding (pre-adolescent), even though its harmful breaking of attachment bonds is recognised as a major factor in the ongoing traumatic effects of institutional sexual abuse (in my case this was forced nudity, lack of privacy and shaming).
