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John Kirk-Anderson / Stuff
Up to 80 people have contacted Christ’s College to share their experiences of bullying and abuse.
Christ’s College has issued a powerful apology to alumni who faced abuse, but may never show up.
And Christchurch’s private children’s school has appointed an independent facilitator to help with the repair, which could include compensation.
In December, the elder Jim Goodwin testified at the Royal Commission on Abuse in Caregiving, describing the abuse he experienced from other children at Christ’s College in the 1970s.
Since then, up to 80 former students have contacted the school to share their experiences of bullying and abuse.
READ MORE:
* Survivors share stories of past abuse in New Zealand schools
* Dozens of older children share memories of the ‘hard life’ at Christ’s College
* Former Christ’s College student recounts fearing for life during sexual assault
In a message sent to the elders on Wednesday, the chairman of the board, Hugh Lindo, said that those who had come forward described a “culture of bullying in all its forms, a culture in which they were victimized, a culture in which they were not they were safe, a culture in which the body condoned punishment and a culture in which they could not ask for help and, if they did, it was not there ”.
The school apologized to the alumni and offered support whenever possible.
“We know that the number of those who have written to us will represent a larger group that can, or probably will not, communicate with us, but who had similar experiences at the University to those who have written,” said Lindo.
“To this group, we acknowledge your suffering, we acknowledge that for you Christ’s College was a terrifying place and that we could not keep you safe. We are sorry for this.
“We know that for many of you, the passage of time will not have clouded your memories of fear and anguish. We cannot undo the past and correct what happened then. “
RNZ
A disconnected hotline, missing files detailing sexual abuse, and a serious lack of training. These were some of the most embarrassing admissions of the Anglican Church in a reparation hearing by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care. (Video first published on March 19, 2021)
Lindo encouraged people to contact the designated facilitator, Mark Wells, to discuss “how we can provide meaningful support to him.”
He pointed out to alumni the school’s historic abuse policy, which says financial compensation may be offered in some cases.
“Christ’s College is now faced with the reality of this aspect of its history. For many, this has taken too long.
“Now we are putting the interests of our old men before those of the university. This was not always the case. “
Cute later said Things the oldest person to contact the school was a man in his 80s who was a student in the 1950s.
Most attended in the 1970s and 1980s when “corporal punishment was condoned.”
Part of the treatment they suffered was “exceptionally cruel,” said Lindo.
“There were a lot of people who were on the wrong side and they remember it. It doesn’t matter if it was 1971 or 1981, it’s like it happened yesterday. “
He said it was not “surprising” that some old men had decided that they wanted nothing to do with school as a result of their experiences.
