Editorial: Victims of forced adoption deserve justice

Thousands of Queensland women are enduring life sentences after having their babies forcibly removed. They deserve redress now, writes the editor.

Imagine the trauma of falling pregnant in your teens, in an era when such things were seen as bringing shame upon a family.

Then imagine being sent away – to hide the shame – to give birth in secret and have your baby instantly removed.

Imagine going through the trauma of childbirth, and then be robbed of that first cuddle, not to mention every other moment in a child’s life.

Imagine returning to your family, pretending like nothing has happened, and being expected to live your life as before.

Imagine not knowing where your child was, and being told that you had no legal redress despite the ongoing trauma and mental health issues.

Thousands of Queensland women are living that nightmare.

A 2012 Senate inquiry into the practice of forced adoption estimated that between 140,000 and 150,000 Australian babies were taken away from young mums between 1951 and 1975, but conceded the actual number could be much higher.

Churches, charities and individuals offered the “service” to spare families from “embarrassment”. They may have even felt that they were doing God’s work.

But the women who went through these places tell stories of cruelty at worst, indifference at best.

The 2012 inquiry recommended states apologise to victims – which Queensland duly offered – but pointedly the inquiry recommended that “apologies should always be accompanied by undertakings to take concrete actions that offer appropriate redress for past mistakes”.

Ten years later, Queensland victims are still waiting for that redress.

A ridiculously short statute of limitations period of just three years meant that the young mums missed their chance at justice well before they even realised how cruel and unusual their treatment had been.

And of course there was no statute of limitations on the trauma they feel about having their babies taken away.

That still exists and in many cases it has become generational.

It is also a trauma many of the children of these adoptions feel.

As well as the ongoing pain from the adoption, there is also the feeling of injustice that must intensify with each passing year.

Victims of forced adoption deserve the opportunity to feel they have not been forgotten, that they have received justice.

Extending the statute of limitations would be one option, but may in the end be messier than a redress scheme, similar to the one that already operates for victims of institutionalised sexual abuse.

This year the Victorian Government announced a redress scheme for mothers who had their babies forcibly removed, however the scheme is not available to children of forced adoption.

Australia is a great country, but our proud history is littered with dark chapters like this that must be addressed if we are to move forward.

In response to our story today, the Department of Children said although no decision had been made regarding a redress scheme they were encouraging victims of forced adoption to come forward and tell their stories.

As readers of The Saturday Courier-Mail today can attest, it is impossible to hear those stories without coming to the conclusion that these people deserve justice.

HOME IS STILL OUR CASTLE

Queenslanders love their sport, and with an Aussie in the Wimbledon final ahead of a State of Origin decider at Suncorp Stadium we are in heaven.

But you’d be wrong if you assumed sport is our No.1 passion.

That honour, of course, goes to real estate.

Over the past few years, backyard barbecues have been full of yarns about the mate who bought in at $700,000 and sold a year later for $1.1 million, or the poor bloke who sold the house at $500,000 that’s now worth $900,000.

The downside, of course, is young people being priced out of the market as they try to put a foot on the bottom rung of the property ladder.

Rising interest rates seem certain to bring entry-level prices down.

But in The Saturday Courier-Mail today real estate editor Elizabeth Tilley crunches the data on quarterly sale prices across the nation and discovers that Brisbane is the strongest capital city market on the mainland.

Despite rising rates and growing global uncertainty, Brisbane homeowners saw values increase by 1 per cent in the June quarter to an incredible $865,968.

A quarter of the capital’s homes are now worth more than $1 million.

To see what your house or unit is worth, visit here.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by the Editor Kelvin Healey, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778).

Contact details here