Abuse in Jersey: openness required

The reaction to concerns voiced over the years has been disgraceful

The unfolding events in Jersey, as a second underground chamber is opened, can seem remote. The Channel island is often regarded as something of a law unto itself, and the care home that has been the chief focus of press attention has been closed for more than 20 years. Yet the crimes that were allegedly perpetrated there, if they did take place, will continue to live with their victims long after the Haut de la Garenne home shut its doors. The attempts to wreck the police investigation, which were described yesterday, suggest that there is a culture of silence that is wholly contemporary.

Whatever the extent of abuse turns out to be, the reaction to concerns that have been voiced over many years has been shameful. Former residents, and parents of residents, claim that their complaints were ignored. Last year Simon Bellwood, a social worker, was sacked after complaining about a harsh punishment regime, including solitary confinement, at a unit called Greenfields which is still functioning. Isolation is a practice which is not considered fit for most criminals, let alone children. Stuart Syvret, the health minister who took up Mr Bellwood's case, was also sacked, albeit after making some intemperate comments.

Yesterday, the police officers leading the investigation claimed that a high-profile campaign had been mounted to discredit them, involving former police officers, a local businessman and a small number of politicians (not ministers). The police say that threats have been made to individual officers, and to some of those co-operating with the inquiry. They are also investigating claims that victims are being intimidated by former child care staff. These revelations are an appalling indictment of an island that prides itself on its reputation for law and order.

There is not yet conclusive evidence of widespread wrongdoing. Only one person, a former warden, has so far been charged with abuse. More than 160 people have already come forward to claim that they were abused, most at Haut de la Garenne, where blood, a pair of shackles and a sunken bath were discovered in an underground chamber last month. But the risk of encouraging false memories makes it vital not to stoke hysteria. This case must not become a witch-hunt.

Nevertheless, what is striking is the contrast between the deliberate openness of the police and the apparent blindness of other parts of the system. The police believe that a number of agencies failed to respond appropriately to allegations of sexual abuse in the island's childcare system over a long period. Irrespective of whether there was systematic abuse of children, there seems to have been a systematic failure of accountability.

The tendency for people in power to ignore allegations of this kind, and for professionals to close ranks, is not peculiar to Jersey. Ignorance and convenience often figure in decisions by officialdom to play down such issues. But there is no statute of limitations on suffering.

It is a tragic truth that places which care for vulnerable people can sometimes attract “carers” who are bent on evil. What is essential is that the institutions involved are capable of rooting those people out, quickly. Many blameless Jersey citizens are understandably keen to maintain the island's international image as a sunny, prosperous place to do business. But Jersey currently looks as though it wants to cut itself off from the real world. The island's best hope of a charmed future is to get to grips with its past.