Under consideration PE1933: Allow the Fornethy Survivors to access Scotland’s redress scheme

Background information

Survivors need acknowledgement, closure and compensation. The young girls were “in care” of Glasgow Corporation who provided the in care setting for these vulnerable, helpless and isolated children. The decision to make us exempt from the redress scheme has magnified that suffering. We want to be treated equally to other abuse survivors. Redress is an important part.

Going down the legal route incurs great costs and mental resilience which abused victims will mostly find untenable due to the effects the abuse has had on them. We know that childhood abuse affects many socio-economic factors as well as inter-personal and mental health conditions. Why should they have to? If the government recognises the validity of child abuse and its long term effects, why make them exempt?

Fornethy children were in the care of Glasgow Corporation and they are not being held to account but passing survivors onto agencies to deal with them. Many victims have already spent great sums of money and effort in therapeutic interventions, preparing themselves, being interviewed, giving statements to the Police and the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry . They are now wondering to what purpose given they are not being taken seriously in the Redress scheme. We know there are records in the Mitchell Library but are being met with silence again. We have no access to justice.