Hundreds of Lambeth children allegedly became victims of cruel abuse and sexual harassment amid a "culture of cover-up" that, according to staff and councilors, affected the lives of kids in south London care homes, a report said.
The investigation of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse resulted in the criticism of the Lambeth Council after alleged child abuse in five care homes occured between the 1960s and the 1990s.
Hundreds of Children Abused
The inquiry claimed that abusers infiltrated the care homes and the foster system to conduct the activities. Following the criticism, the Lambeth Council released an unreserved apology to the victims of the abuse and harassment.
A former council leader said that the authoritative agency "clearly failed" to perform its duties to serve the people. The official noted that the current leader should have known about the illegal activities.
Amid the controversies, the Metropolitan Police also expressed their sincere apologies "for when we let children in the care of Lambeth down."
The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) conducted the investigation in the summer of 2020 and analyzed five different care homes found in Angell Road, South Vale Assessment Centre, the Shirley Oaks complex, Ivy House, and Monkton Street, BBC reported.
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The IICSA's report wrote that with some exceptions the Lambeth Council Staff poorly treated children in care homes, acting as if their lives had no worth. It continued to claim that the lack of support led to the infiltration of the children's homes and foster care that resulted in "devastating, life-long consequences for their victims."
The report noted there were at least 705 children who became victims of pedophiles working in the care system. The case is considered to be one of the worst child abuse scandals in the history of Britain.
The investigators said that the children in the care homes were "pawns in a toxic power game" conducted between politicians. The victims were allegedly left to the mercy of their abusers who targeted job openings in the care homes, My London reported. The British government has so far provided gnarly $100 million in compensation to be distributed to the victims.
Widespread Criticism
The report said that by June 2020 the Lambeth Council received complaints from the 705 victims at three of the care homes. However, in over 40 years since the start of the cruel acts, only one senior employee was disciplined.
Shirley Oaks was alleged to be the care home where more than 177 staff members or people linked to the care home abused children. The report said up to 350 children were at the home in Croydon before it was closed down in 1983.
The crimes in Shirley Oaks and South Vale care homes were described as "brutal places where violence and sexual assault were allowed to flourish." Children, including those at the age of five, were victims of sexual abuse at Angell Road, the inquiry said. The report added that the real number of victims was unknown but believed to be significantly higher than what was officially recorded, Sky News reported.
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