UNITEDKINGDOM
The Times
Sean O’Neill, Chief Reporter
November 19 2016
The Times
The chairwoman of the inquiry into historical sex abuse has hit back at critics and said that some forces did not want “dark institutional failings brought into the light”.
Writing in The Times, Alexis Jay said that the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) had a duty to shine a light on the failures that led to so many being abused and exploited.
Professor Jay, who was praised for her investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, added: “I have fought for this inquiry — for its independence, its reputation and its vital capacity to right a terrible wrong — since it opened, and I don’t intend to stop fighting for it now.”
Her vow to continue with the IICSA’s work followed the decision by one of the largest victims’ groups to withdraw from the inquiry process.
The Shirley Oaks Survivors Association, which represents hundreds of people abused in childhood in the care of Lambeth council in London, said that it had lost confidence in the inquiry after resignations and scandals.
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