The Psychology of a culture is revealed and perpetuated in how they relate to and treat their children and in how they relate to and treat the most vulnerable people within their society. Heal that and we can heal everything.
Corneilius speaks at the UK Rally Against Child Abuse 2010
Totally agree with all said though rather disappointed by the lady who carried out the introduction. She inferred that the Canadian Residential Schools was a current system when in fact it started in the 1800's and closed down in the 1960's. Recently the First Nations People of Canada have received an official apology from the Canadian government, as well as an, admittedly controversial, legal settlement. I am British but have lived in Canada for the past 4 years. I don't know any Canadian that is not thoroughly ashamed of the residential school system. I wonder if there are many English people who know anything about how the Scottish people, including children, were treated by their English ancestors, with no apology or legal/financial settlement.
The last Residential School in Canada was closed in 1996. The trauma is still a living reality; the vast bulk of 'down and outs', addicts and the poor in Canadian Society are the survivors and their families.
I know of many, many Canadians who still actively ignore the present realities of those living survivors - they are politicians, church men and women, policemen and 'ordinary folk'...
Even as we write, the Canadian Government is attempting to dislodge traditional indigenous communities from those lands under which great reserves of Uranium and other minerals are to be found.
The Official Apology was a PR stunt, whereby selected Indigenous representatives and leaders took part, and the majority of survivors were excluded.
Even in the TRC, survivors were not allowed to name names ... there are many of the abusers alive and well, and not one of them has as yet been tried for their crimes.
Shame is a useless emotion; it was shame that stopped many survivors from telling their stories; it's more common for survivors to feel shame, and uncommon for abusers to feel shame, or remorse or even more importantly empathy.
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Totally agree with all said though rather disappointed by the lady who carried out the introduction. She inferred that the Canadian Residential Schools was a current system when in fact it started in the 1800's and closed down in the 1960's. Recently the First Nations People of Canada have received an official apology from the Canadian government, as well as an, admittedly controversial, legal settlement. I am British but have lived in Canada for the past 4 years. I don't know any Canadian that is not thoroughly ashamed of the residential school system. I wonder if there are many English people who know anything about how the Scottish people, including children, were treated by their English ancestors, with no apology or legal/financial settlement.
The last Residential School in Canada was closed in 1996. The trauma is still a living reality; the vast bulk of 'down and outs', addicts and the poor in Canadian Society are the survivors and their families.
I know of many, many Canadians who still actively ignore the present realities of those living survivors - they are politicians, church men and women, policemen and 'ordinary folk'...
Even as we write, the Canadian Government is attempting to dislodge traditional indigenous communities from those lands under which great reserves of Uranium and other minerals are to be found.
The Official Apology was a PR stunt, whereby selected Indigenous representatives and leaders took part, and the majority of survivors were excluded.
Even in the TRC, survivors were not allowed to name names ... there are many of the abusers alive and well, and not one of them has as yet been tried for their crimes.
Shame is a useless emotion; it was shame that stopped many survivors from telling their stories; it's more common for survivors to feel shame, and uncommon for abusers to feel shame, or remorse or even more importantly empathy.
There is a hell of a lot of work to be done.
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