Update: The final report of the IICSA was published in 2022 (#8504). Follow the website link for all publications related to the inquiry.

This Case Study report into Child Migration Programmes is part of the wider investigation into the Protection of Children outside the United Kingdom. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse published its report into the Child Migration Programmes case study on 1 March 2018. The report criticises Her Majesty’s Government (HMG) for the policy of child migration and recommends that all child migrants are financially compensated by HMG through a redress scheme. The report also recommends that organisations involved in implementing the migration programmes offer apologies to child migrants, where they have failed to do so.

"Over a period of many years before and after the Second World War, successive United Kingdom governments allowed children to be removed from their families, care homes and foster care in England and Wales to be sent to institutions or families abroad, without their parents. These child migrants were sent mainly to Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

Government departments, public authorities and charities participated in these child migration programmes and were responsible, to varying degrees, for what subsequently happened to the children. Post-war, around 4,000 children
were migrated, mostly to Australia. This report sets out the results of the Inquiry’s investigation into the experiences of child migrants, and the extent to which institutions took sufficient care to protect these children from sexual abuse. The investigation also examined the extent to which the institutions involved knew, or should have known, about the sexual abuse of child migrants and how they have responded to any such knowledge. Finally, it considered the adequacy of support and reparations for sexual abuse, if any, which have been provided by the institutions concerned. Although the focus of the Inquiry is on sexual abuse, the accounts of other forms of abuse provide an essential context for understanding the experiences of child migrants." (From the Executive summary).

Background information about the Inquiry.
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse was set up because of serious concerns that some organisations had failed and were continuing to fail to protect children from sexual abuse. The Inquiry is an independent statutory inquiry and covers England and Wales. Being independent means the Inquiry is not part of government and not run by a government department. Being statutory means the Inquiry was set up under the Inquiries Act 2005 and has the power to compel witnesses to give evidence.

The Inquiry has launched 13 investigations into a broad range of institutions identified on the basis of the Panel’s criteria for selection of investigations. The investigations will give a voice to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, enable the Inquiry to understand how institutions have failed to protect children from sexual abuse and make practical recommendations to ensure better institutional protection for children in the future. (From the website). Follow the links to read more about the IICSA and this case study investigation. Record #5776