1997. Justice Minister Anne McLellan asked the Law Commissions of Canada to prepare a report regarding physical and sexual abuse of children in institutions run by or supported by the provincial or federal government. These institutions include residential schools, training schools, mental health care facilities, etc. Many children were placed in such institutions to segregate them from the rest of the population, as began in the eugenics movement.
While the commission did not recommend a single approach for the abused survivors in seeking redress for the harm done them, they did offer five principles to guide the process:
“-Former residents of institutions should have the information necessary to make informed choices about what course of redress to undertake.
“-They should have access to counseling and support throughout the process.
“-Those who conduct or manage the process, such as judges, lawyers and police, should have the training to enable them to understand the particular circumstances of survivors.
“-Ongoing efforts should be made to improve existing redress programs.
“-The process should not cause further harm to survivors. The process must acknowledge that a painful, even traumatic past is far from easy” (Law Commissions of Canada, 9-10).
The Report of the Law Commission of Canada, entitled Restoring Dignity: Responding to Child Abuse in Canadian Institutions was published in 2000, and can be accessed here.
-Erna Kurbegovic
Law Commission of Canada/Commission du droit du Canada. (2000). Restoring Dignity: Responding to Child Abuse in Canadian Institutions. Ottawa: Minister of Public Works and Government Services. Retrieved from http://www.attorneygeneral.jus.gov.on.ca/inquiries/cornwall/en/hearings/exhibits/Peter_Jaffe/pdf/Restoring_Dignity.pdf