GOD SAVE THE QUEEN’S CHILDREN
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN’S CHILDREN
I started reading the article in the morning and stopped because we were going to celebrate the holiday with my dad. I made sure to finish reading it when I got home though. I didn't want to, but I couldn't stop thinking about it. I know some of you are going to do the whole "Too long, didn't read" thing and and I totally get that, but I can't reconcile being lazy or willfully ignorant about the mistreatment of children. Reading about this stuff, blogging about it and sharing the links is literally the least I can do.
On September 15th, I signed this petition in a growing effort for Leah McGrath Goodman to get her visa back and be able to return to the UK and do further research and also to bring attention to her findings.
A couple of weeks ago, I read an article about someone I remember fondly from when I was a small child, Jimmy Savile. He was a beloved TV personality who hosted a children’s program called ‘Jim’ll Fix It’ where kids would write in and ask Jim if please could he fix it for them to do or meet whatever or whoever they wanted (within reason, of course). Here’s a clip where a group of boy scouts asked if please could he fix it for them to eat their lunch while riding a roller coaster.
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Jersey Update from Leah McGrath Goodman:
It has been just over a month and the island of Jersey is keenly aware of the progress of this petition…so please keep it coming. It is having immense impact. I am with all of you in spirit, although as yet I am still not allowed back in the UK… Right now, several UK newspapers and media outlets are in touch amid the Jimmy Savile scandal, as revelations emerge daily of his abusing children at the very same Jersey orphanage I am investigating — Haut de la Garenne. This lends a great deal of credence the victims’ (previously ignored) testimonies of appalling crimes committed at Haut de la Garenne against children across decades by the rich and privileged — islanders as well as visitors such as Savile. One reporter for a major London daily told me, “We have been asking ourselves for days why the press did nothing about this…Now that I hear your story about how you were kicked out of the country for investigating it, I know.” Jersey’s police has stated that it received complaints of Savile’s acts against children but did not charge him due to “insufficient evidence.” (It remains to be seen what evidence would be sufficient on an island that has no sex offenders registry.) By not stopping Savile, the authorities effectively stepped aside and allowed him to continue preying on children until his death. The UK now likes to refer to these matters as “in the past” or “historic” or “it happened in a different era.” Really? In Jersey, people accused of horrific crimes against children are still enjoying high-ranking government posts in health and education — in other words, close to defenseless children. We know their names and we know what they did according to their accusers. But they have never been charged. Why? In Jersey, if the Attorney General does not agree to apprehend a person, the police cannot apprehend him. There is no appealing that decision. Neat, huh? Regarding my plight, Jersey Immigration has stated I am quite welcome to return to the island, provided I get a non-existent “Writer’s visa.” Yes, this visa does not exist. This week, they finally admitted there is no form for such a visa. We are still awaiting a coherent answer as to what they now advise me to do. While it is hard to believe any of these things could happen in a Western democracy — let alone on an island that answers to the Queen — what might be even harder to believe is that so many people have been trampled so many times in trying to effect lasting change, the vast majority of them have given up. After what I have seen, I don’t blame them. But the truth must come out. Help us keep the pressure on and pass this along to a few more people, if you have a chance. Those of you from Jersey, hang in there. For those of you from elsewhere, this is a beautiful island with truly amazing people. It does not deserve anything less than safety for its children — and the truth. Hope this finds you and your families well — and happy autumn. Leah |
After reading the email I googled it and found this. Here is the part that I think is very important to pay attention to:
“Mr Collins, from Manchester-based law firm Pannone, said the reason more people had not gone to the police about Savile was because of how wide the Jersey historical abuse inquiry was.
He said: “It was a wide-ranging inquiry spanning decades and dealing with numerous alleged abusers. A vast range of alleged abusers with many victims spanning many decades.”
This sounds a lot like sexual tourism. A beautiful island where the wealthy come to relax and play and prey upon children, knowing that it’s going to be covered up and anyone that looks into it will be “trampled.”
Sigh.
It's a mad world out there and we have to look out for each other, especially the children who are at the mercy of the system. -S
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