The Chief Minister of the Isle of Man has said that no one has been held to account following a Child Care Inquiry which followed the murder of two young people in February 2002. He was responding to a query from Member of the House of Keys (and Celtic League member) Bill Henderson.

Quoting selectively from the Child Care Inquiry report the Chief Minister said that it stated 'none of the actions or failures of the departments or agencies of Government led directly to the deaths of these young people'. Taken in context however the Chief Ministers assertion is disingenuous because the report did go on to make considerable criticisms and produced a voluminous section of recommendations.

The murders of Samantha Barton and George Green attracted considerable attention on the Isle of Man and Internationally highlighting the shortcomings of both its judicial and child care systems. Subsequently, a young man was convicted of the murder but the fall-out from the affair led the government to establish what it hoped would be a definitive inquiry to ascertain what went wrong and what remedies should be set in train.

Running to 445 pages the Report certainly seems to be the last word on the issue with the Chief Minister saying (again in his reply to Mr Henderson) that extensive reviews and substantial changes have emanated from it.

However, the report has significant shortcomings not least (as Mr Henderson seems to have latched on to) its failure to hold anyone in the political or care systems to account.

The Islands treatment of young offenders and also those with behavioural problems had come in for criticisms on several occasions over the previous two decades. Indeed both the two troubled youngsters who subsequently suffered appalling deaths had to a certain extent been the product of previous failings and weaknesses of the system.

Just two years prior to the tragic murder of Samantha Barton and George Green the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) expressed a number of concerns which, had they been acted on immediately, may have led to a more robust care system being in place and seen tragedy avoided.

The UNCRC inquiry and its conclusions does not seem to have 'exercised' the 2002 Child Care Inquiry and one is bound to ask why?

Another pertinent question that must be posed is could such tragedies happen again?

Lessons were learned and yet no one, other than the criminal who perpetrated the actual murders, was held to account. How can that be? Until some explanation is forthcoming it will take more than a 445 page report to draw a line under the catalogue of errors which led society to let these young people down.

See Henderson/Chief Minister news report at:

(voir le site)

Child care report at:

(voir le site)

United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child Report:

(voir le site)

Related items on Celtic News at:

(voir le site) (voir le site) (voir le site)

J B Moffatt Director of Information Celtic League

25/11/07

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