Westminster view: Australia's child migrants
Many of my constituents will have read in horror and great sadness the recent accounts of the forced migration of British children to Australia during much of the last century.
It was disgraceful policy – a history of lies, deceit, cruelty, official disinterest and neglect. Recent research has uncovered the astonishing fact that over 130,000 children were deported from Britain and shipped off to a "new life" in distant parts of the Empire.
This long history of compulsory migration ended in 1970 when post-war child migration drew to a close. But before then, children as young as three years old had been separated from their country and all that was familiar to them, to be brought up in institutions. Many were treated as child slave labour. Most were told that they were orphans whose parents had died, even though this was untrue. Most were deported without the consent of their parents and on arrival in Australia, the policy was to separate brothers and sisters.
Many British children were sold the story that Australia would be a place where the sun always shines and life would be easier; a far cry from the Britain they knew in the 1940s. Unfortunately, as has now been well documented, many children did not experience the dream, but rather the harsh realities of hard labour, physical abuse and the loss of contact with their families and loved-ones. Many experienced degrading physical, sexual and emotional abuse throughout their childhood and beyond.
The Australian Government viewed the child migrants as ideal young immigrants. The British Government saw them as a burden on the state, and was happy to see them go. It was shameful.
Four years ago, in my former role as member of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, I met a number of child migrants to talk about their experiences and how they have coped since. I found their stories deeply moving.
I am pleased that after so many years, the Australian Government has apologised to the hundreds of thousands of people who were abused or neglected in state care as children and to the 7,000 child migrants from Britain who still live in Australia – castaways of the Empire.
Organisations such as the Child Migrants' Trust should be congratulated. They have worked tirelessly over the years to raise this issue and have also sought to ensure that those who were affected received the support that they needed, both practically in tracing surviving family members, and also emotionally.
I understand that the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is expected to make an apology on behalf of the British Government in the New Year, following a consultation with survivors of the programme. I welcome this action. It cannot come soon enough.
