Members of the Inquiry’s Victims and Survivors Forum were asked about their personal experiences of seeking redress, which types of redress would be most important to them and how they would like the process of seeking redress to be handled. More than half of those who had sought redress described the overall process as negative (52.7 percent) or mostly negative (21.6 percent).
“The whole experience which has lasted years has been a time of hypervigilance and anxiety on an almost daily basis.” - Forum member
“[I want to be] treated as an individual and not one of many. Having always been a 'number' it would have been nice to feel that my history and experience mattered.” - Forum member
Earlier this year, a series of workshops was planned around England and Wales for Forum members to discuss the issue of redress.
Whilst the Inquiry was only able to hold one face-to-face event due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Inquiry developed an online questionnaire for members of the Forum to share their experiences and views on the subject. 22 members attended the event in Manchester and a further 127 members completed the questionnaire.
This report summarises the key themes that emerged from Forum members’ responses, with many describing apologies and acknowledgments as the most important aspect of redress.
“So many people never apologise or say these words, ‘I am so sorry this happened to you.” - Forum member
“An apology was very meaningful to me, as it acknowledged the impact of abuse on me…” - Forum member
The information Forum members have provided will inform the Inquiry’s Final Report.
More information on the Forum and how to take part in future events is available here.