Pitcairn child abuse victims can seek compensation
Thursday, 09 Oct 2008 17:43
Women subjected to systematic child abuse on Pitcairn Island can seek compensation, UK says
Women who were subjected to systematic child abuse on Pitcairn Island last century have been cleared to seek compensation by the UK government.
The remote overseas island territory, 3,300 miles from New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean, was the site of widespread child sex abuse dating back to the 1950s.
Nine men have been convicted over the scandal, which emerged in 1999 when UK police officer Gail Cox was stationed on the island.
It is understood that the nine women who testified and 17 who gave statements will be able to claim compensation under the scheme, which was announced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on Thursday.
"What happened to these women was terrible and no amount of money will take that pain away," said Foreign Office minister Gillian Merron.
"But I hope this will give them some recognition of their suffering."
Pitcairn Island is a sparsely-populated volcanic territory situated between New Zealand and Peru.
The island's 47 inhabitants are all descended from the mutineers of the HMAV Bounty and the natives they took with them.
The uncovering of the sexual abuse sparked controversy among islanders, which can only be reached by a boat that departs four times a year, many of whom did not want the convicted men to be imprisoned as it would deprive Pitcairn of its adult male population.
Ms Merron said it was right that a compensation mechanism was set up, regardless of the cultural differences between islanders and the outside world.
"We are working closely with the UK's criminal injuries compensation authority to ensure the levels of compensation are linked to the amounts awarded in the UK," the minister said.
"This is a significant step and it is the right thing to do."
Trials held on the island and New Zealand between 2004 and 2006 saw eight Pitcairn men convicted of raping and sexually assaulting girls as young as 12, while a ninth man pleaded guilty, but only six were jailed.
Under British law the criminal injuries compensation scheme does not automatically cover overseas territories.