434 Applications for witnesses to speak and a timescale from 1922 to 1995 makes the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) Inquiry, the largest in British history. The BBC has the story here although any evidence leading to a prosecution of accused former employees will be held in closed sessions.
As Renée points out, childhood trauma increases the likelihood of a wide range of physical and mental health issues later in life. To the tune of trillions of dollars. The way to address those outcomes is through early interventions for kids. Often, those are available because of grants and government funding. That costs money, but it’s a better alternative to all of the costs associated with treating the long-term impacts of trauma.
One newspaper reported on the Abbott of Downside’s public apology to historical abuse victims over the weekend. That report is here. The Daily Telegraph updated the blog on this topic, covering some possible innaccuracies in a Times report, which is probably behind the regular paywall by now, so you can read the disputed sections here….
Liam Adams, brother of Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, is to be extradited following child abuse claims by his daughter, two years after the allegations surfaced in a TV documentary. The BBC has the updated story here and the historical background from last year is on the Daily Mail website here. – CBG
This particular story does not involve a child, it involves a 20-year old woman who was dealing with postpartum depression, but I think there are two important lessons to be learned from it, that do apply to children as well. 1. Victims of sexual abuse, and sex trafficking, come from all over, including well-to-do suburbs….
“Frankly, whichever figure we go with, if this was a communicable disease such as measles or rubella, mass inoculations and huge public health campaigns would be the order of the day. But it’s not – it’s the rape and violation of children, so silence and turning away, wholly or partially, are the responses.” Unfortunately, this…
There’s been a lot of talk about youth mental health during the pandemic, including a number of prominent voices raising the alarm about this crisis. There have been almost as many voices suggesting that ending things like lockdowns, mask and vaccine mandates, and just getting “back to normal” will fix this mental health crisis.
I am not one of those voices.
Now let me be clear, I’m not saying that the pandemic hasn’t played a number on mental health for all of us, it clearly has. But, the crisis in mental health for everyone, but especially young people, existed long before COVID-19.
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