First monument to the forced adoption scandal Great Britain – but no excuse for survivors

Survivors of the UK forced adoption The scandal has shaped the first public monument in Great Britain, which has recognized the “immense suffering” of unmarried mothers and their children in Great Britain for decades after the war.

The unveiling on the former area of ​​Rosemundy Mother and Baby, which is now in St. Agnes, Cornwall, was visited by mothers, adult adopted and activists, some of whom had traveled through the country to mark the occasion.

Between 1949 and 1976, an estimated 200,000 women and girls were sent to institutions that were led by the church and the state that were shame and secretly, and many were forced to have their children adopted.

Lyn Rodden was one of these women.

She was 19, pregnant and recently separated with her boyfriend when she was sent home to Rosemundy, with the conviction that she would receive support there.

She continues to experience what she experienced on the site of the picturesque Georgian House of the 18th century, surrounded by forest and picturesque huts.

Ms. Rodden, now 88, described the house as a “slave camp” in which they were “forced to wash laundry for the employees and villagers” and scrub the flag stones in the building while they are very pregnant.

She told her steps with ITV News and described how she “marched up the hill to the church every Sunday”, all of which were “dressed in Tabards to show that we were unmarried”.

“The villagers would scream things like 'whore' and 'prostitute' on us when we came by,” she said.

“We were not seen as human, dogs were treated better than we were. It was Dickensian. It was a bad place, no kindness, just punishment.”

Ms. Rodden, who gave a tearful speech when the badge was unveiled, had to give up her little son Mark.

For 50 years she only had to remember him when he was a blurred photo of the size of a stamp. The couple was finally reunited after Mark had tracked them down as an adult.

Dr. Phil Frampton, who organized the event and was born in 1953 in the same house, said that the badge of survivors offers the “opportunity to develop a feeling of healing”.

“Today's unveiling to commemorate the survivors and victims of the Rosemundy house was incredible and beyond our best expectations,” he said ITV News.

“Some birth mothers came from the south of England and an adult adoptive stain flew out of their house in Portugal. The intensive emotions of the survivors … their relief, the tears of joy and the feeling of healing were there to see.”

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The unveiling at the former town of Rosemundy Mother and Baby Home in St. Agnes, Cornwall, was visited by mothers, adults adopted and activists

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Dr. Francton spent his childhood in nursing and described the abuse and racism with which he grew up as “cruel”.

He has been fighting for the recognition of his experiences and public recognition of what his mother, who died at the age of 32, has been fighting for decades.

After the plaque was unveiled, he said: “I am proud of the women and survivors of the adopted and incredibly satisfied about the idea that hundreds of thousands of affected families will have more than a light shimmer at the end of a long, often dark tunnel.”

Survivors and activists ask the government to formally apologize formally for the role of the state in institutions such as Rosemundy Home.

“Why is this five letter word so difficult to say for the government?” Mrs. Rodden. “Sorry. Why is that so difficult?”

In 2021 Investigation of the joint committee of human rights concluded that the state exceeded the final responsibility for suffering, women in need of protection, and asked the government to enact an official excuse. Four years later, survivors are still waiting.

“The government's failure to react to the forced adoption scandal raises great questions where social justice is in this country,” added Dr. Francton added.

The group Movement for an adoption sorry (Maa) If you vote these calls and also want specialized support for those affected, including trauma -informed consulting services, help with reunification and persecution as well as easier access to historical records.

Maa activists were present at the event on Saturday, which contained a speech by one of the leaders Diana Defries who spoke of urgency due to the age of the victims and survivors.

“I will fight for a certain degree of justice, but there are people who can no longer do it, and we are very aware that people die,” she said before ITV News.

A government spokesman said: “This hideous practice should never have taken place, and our deepest sympathies are with all those affected.

“We take this problem extremely seriously and continue to deal with those affected to offer support.”

In response to our study of historical forced adoption, the Church of England said: “We are deeply sad about hearing these painful and stressful reports of women and families affected by mother and baby houses, including those with connections to the Church of England.

“For those who have suffered, we again offer grief and our regret. While such decisions were considered appropriate by many at this time, society now recognizes the profound and permanent effects that they had on so many lives.

“We are obliged to learn and invite everyone who has the feeling of being damaged or affected by his time in some Cofe -accepted houses.”

In 2016, the head of the Catholic Church in England and Wales apologized for “the injuries caused by agencies that act on behalf of the Catholic Church”.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols realized that “grief and pain were caused by adoption by giving up a child” and added: “The practices of all adoption agencies reflected the social values ​​at this point in time”.

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If you are affected by the problems in this report, please visit the links to get help and support:

• Adult adoptier movement – offers links to resources that offer information and support for adopted in Great Britain

• Sorry for adoption – – Offers information about forced and compulsive adoption in Great Britain and all over the world

• Safe rooms – an independent service that offers the survivors of church abuse on 0300 303 1056 or on their website confidential support

• PAC UK – Fach therapy, advice, support, advice and training for all those affected by adoption and durability

If you have a story you can share with ITV Newial Affairs team, you can send yourself to you by e -mail: socialaffairs@itv.com

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