What sad stories are being told on OLO about the abuse and neglect of our children. It is good that there are those who are strong and can stand up against the culture of silence and victimisation aimed at those who speak out and who come forward to tell their stories. They need to be told. It seems unbelievable that this can happen.

Unfortunately things haven't changed too much since then. The difference now is that the type of abuse has moved to a more psychological type as it is less able to be detected by the naked eye. People are still too scared to say anything about abuse and corruption and our Government still has a process in place that ensure that adults who abuse their power and fail in their duty of care are protected.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better

Another revealing article by Bernie Matthews. State-sponsored child institutions - ‘emotional wastelands where abused and psychologically crippled children matured into adolescence’ - did indeed ‘create men...who wreaked a terrible vengeance on society’.

Not to detract in any way from Mick’s story (many did end up in gaols) but I thought the most telling sentences were in the quote from the Senate’s Forgotten Australians Report:

We have a one in three chance of leaving care at 16 as girls pregnant or already with child. We have a one in two chance of being homeless within that first year. Only one in 100 of us will get to university, but one in three of us will have attempted suicide. We are also highly likely to wind up addicted to drugs, engaged in prostitution, unemployed, mentally ill or incapable of sustaining loving relationships.

These chilling statistics are supported by a survey completed by CLAN (Care Leavers Network of Australia: www.clan.org.au) in 2007. The survey also shows that the children of former institutionalised children are often victims too. Being brought up without love and affection, and with no experience of what it means to be a father or a mother, is no preparation for being a parent. Family breakdown and difficulties with intimacy are characteristic.

It’s not surprising - but deeply ironic - that 53% of respondents of the CLAN survey (apart from prison inmates) are now dependent on the Government through age, disability or sickness benefits or the dole.

The Forgotten Australians Report made 39 Recommendations to Government including the need for redress for victims of abuse and neglect in institutions. The Commonwealth Government cynically passed the buck to the States, churches and charities.

Some of these have issued apologies and a minority have implemented redress schemes (Queensland and Tasmania alone of the States). Some have given former inmates access to their files to help reconstruct their childhood stories.

But there is a long way to go with proper redress schemes, dedicated counselling and aged care services. The State failed them as children. It’s not too late to make good.

I can relate to the truama you and many others have endured in the state run institutional systems. I too was subjected to similiar barbaric and draconian treatment at the hands of the Salvation Army in 2 of their institutions in Bayswater Victoria.
Major Francis the superintendant at Bayswater boys home was a saistic bully and took great pleasure in inflicting harsh beatings on many of the children in his care. Envoy Collins was a cunning peodophyle and subjected many of us to being sexually asaulted by him. Like you we had no one to complain to and when we did no one believed us.
Unlike you I became a career criminal, a social outcast and climbed the ranks of the now disbanded painters and dockers unoin. A long list of my friends most of who'm I met in institutions are dead, many killed in underworld fueds. In 1990 in Sydney I almost lost my life by being stabbed by 2 local criminals from NSW. I returned to Melbourne in 1991 and stayed with my sister and her family. I met lady and settled down but unfortunately the relationship didn't last.
I decided to change my ways and become an honest citizen. I could not do this under my own name as my criminal past kept catching up with me. In 1996 I changed my name by deed poll and created a new identity. Since then I have led a law abiding life, avoiding all criminal friends. Due to my disappearence from the criminal elements and life style rumours circulated that I must have been dead.
In recent years in Victoria there was a class action against the Salvation Army by ex inmates of Bayswater Boys Home, unfortunately I did not have the courage to join the class action for fear that it would rekindle old friendships with active criminals and their families.
Once again Mick congratulations for making a good life for yourself and trying to change the evil system of state run institutions.
Keep up the good work and I wish you and yours my best wish's

The author knows he was alone at far too early an age, but you do not have to be institutionalized to suffer.
A family known to me neglected its children until Friday Saturday and Sunday.
On those days a drunken father flogged and abused each in turn while mum did nothing.
Those children saw a whole country village call the dead useless beast DOCS for help.
People paid to protect children did nothing, found excuses to do nothing or to keep that family together.
2 of the seven children are now in prison most will one day join them.
We must do far better in child welfare.
A massive improvement would be gained if right now this minute all those spectators in the department of youth and community services are flogged out of the building and out of the job.
Mum? Dad? both should be in prison a child is not our property we can do better.

Absolutely, Belly.
I was, myself a victim of horrendous abuse by my own parents as a child to the extent that I will have to suffer health problems for the rest of my life.
I was lucky enough not to have ended up a violent person myself even though I was a product of the "What goes on behind a man's closed door is his own business" generation.
Incidentally, my charming father got away with what he did to the five of us, scot free.

This one did not, it took years but mum left took the kids to a new man and left, gee I truly hope it is forever.
He too hid behind the what goes on at home stays at home lie.
It hurts so very deeply to watch those kids and know the education they got at home and maybe the fact they have some of him in them will hurt children for generations to come.
Why do we, those who care put up with idiots on government payroll who do not

It is the choice of politicians and other leaders in the community that bureaucrats do nothing. There is always the pretence that there should be more studies and the nett result is more glossy brochures, filled with PC language.

Just think how easy it could be for a well-meaning politician to visit a public institution and talk with inmates and staff to get the low-down for himself. Few ever do that, but why not? What prevents politicians from talking at grass roots level and dragging their senior bureaucrats along for some education?

The answer is that it is easier not to know. When a Minister visits a region he is about self-promotion and back-slapping. 'Problems' could result in embarrassment. Anyhow, it is more enjoyable to swan around an overseas country 'observing' what they do. That way there is no chance of upturning an inconvenient rock locally.

The media is no help. Instead of applauding a Minister who is keen to work on problems, admit fault and amend policy, the sensationalist media sets out to disgrace him, blaming, embarrassing and alleging 'back-flips' in policy. A 'shock, horror' headline is valued higher than balanced, factual piece with a probable good ending. Editors have strange interpretations of what is in the public interest.

Corruption relies on entrenched interests, secrecy, lack of transparency and implacable resistance to independent review. Government Ministers, senior bureaucrats and editors already know that. They are fully aware that regular mobility of staff holding positions of trust; insistence on establishment of audit committees with external nominees; and allowing for external scrutiny of facilities and operations are cheap, effective ways of reducing corruption.

We all have to ask our local members what prevents the implementation of these controls. Importantly, we have to remove slack local members when we next vote.

I to am a victim of institution care and i remember church members,politicians etc talking to us when we were kids.The only problem was that the staff from those homes were present when the interviews took place.We were too scared to tell it like it was as we would have been punished later.If the general populace are going to learn the truth about these homes the interviews with inmates have to be one on one.

Hi again, Bernie,
Another excellent article, but while you state 500,000 institutionalised children suffered from institutionalised abuse, as several other comments indicate, the figure widens when we look at the institutional life of family, that bastion of so-called protection for the children it produces. The number is almost immeasurable and most of these unfortunately do not have even the slow, agonising process of a class action to appeal to for some semblance of justice. It pleases me immensely that there is this process for the children who were institutionalised, but causes me a slow burn that very little is available to others. The angst that even attempting such an action creates causes as much mental havoc now as the initial vicious and sadistic actions caused then in sabotaging our potential. But keep up the fight - it will only be through people like you that any awareness will be awakened in the general population. Incidentally, being an historian, in reading the stories of many of our earlier 'convicts' I have noted the many sadistic, vicious acts perpetrated on many of them, also. It seems that even 220 years after landing here, very little has changed in how we treat the vulnerable, dependant. Much of what you describe, Bernie, in your articles, somehow sounds so familiar.... Sadly, I realise humankind hasn't changed that much, cobber, has it?

Politicians are not worth the money that we spend on them. My family tried to get assistance from Policitians in relation to allegations of systematic, victimisation, bias, vilification bullying and neglect aimed at 3 of my children spanning over 7 years by the institution called the Department of Education and that included allegations of a conspiracy to cover up and here is what some of them said.

1. Although in opposition at state level I am limited in what I can do as the Minister has the responsbility in matters such as this. So she did nothing.

3. We have been advised (by those we allege are responsible) that the matter has been dealt with and closed. Although we appreciate your concerns we do not have the power or resources to investigate individual complaints. So he did nothing.

4. Nobody will believe you because everybody knows that mothers are biased. Dont bother going to a solicitor as they will just take your money. I used to be a criminal lawyer and it doesn't matter what evidence you have - it wont be enough. So he did nothing.

This is despite the fact that we informed them that the failure of anybody to act on this matter ensured that children remained targeted and not protected and that it was impacting on their mental health and physical wellbeing.

Sure this wasn't sexual abuse or direct physical abuse, it was psychological abuse, bullying, humiliation and neglect but at the end of the day it appears that it doesn't make a difference. The same process is used.

Our children are not protected.

Education - Keeping them Honest
http://jolandachallita.typepad.com/education/
Our children deserve better