This video discusses the profound abuse that many children suffered while in the care of children's homes in Lambeth, a borough in South London, over several decades. It highlights numerous stories of survivors who were subject to physical, sexual, and racial abuse, exploring the trauma and injustice they faced. James Kenny and other survivors' accounts illustrate a dark chapter in the borough's past and the failure to protect vulnerable children from abusers operating with impunity.

The Lambeth Council has established a redress scheme to compensate the survivors, aiming to provide swift justice without the need for court confrontations. Despite the gesture, some survivors feel the compensation process is drawn out and inadequately addresses their emotional needs. The scheme has faced criticism for delaying apologies and the fulfillment of promises, indicating a continuing struggle for many affected individuals to find closure.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. impunity [ɪmˈpjuːnɪti] - (n.) - Exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action. - Synonyms: (immunity, exemption, freedom)

James Kenny is one of hundreds of children who were abused while in the care of Lambeth, the south London borough where for decades, abusers acted with impunity.

2. redress [rɪˈdrɛs] - (n.) - Remedy or compensation for a wrong or grievance. - Synonyms: (reparation, restitution, compensation)

Lambeth apologized for the abuse people suffered and set up its children's homes redress scheme, the first of its kind in England.

3. compensated [ˈkɒmpənˌseɪtɪd] - (v.) - To give someone something, typically money, in recognition of loss, suffering, or injury incurred. - Synonyms: (reimbursed, paid, redressed)

723 people have been compensated for the abuse they suffered.

4. recompensed [ˈrɛkəmˌpɛnst] - (v.) - Make amends to someone for loss or harm suffered; compensate. - Synonyms: (repaid, indemnified, reimbursed)

The completion of the journey doesn't happen until they've been recompensed, until they've got their compensation.

5. haunted [ˈhɔːntɪd] - (adj.) - Showing signs of psychological trauma or anxiety as though reflecting a troubled past. - Synonyms: (tormented, troubled, plagued)

For decades, Hustner's been haunted by the memories of what happened to her.

6. testimony [ˈtɛstɪmoʊni] - (n.) - A formal written or spoken statement, especially one given in a court of law. - Synonyms: (deposition, statement, evidence)

Painstakingly, over years, Sosas contacted survivors, taken testimony, fought hard for recognition of what happened.

7. pedophiles [ˈpiːdəˌfaɪlz] - (n.) - A person who is sexually attracted to children. - Synonyms: (child abuser, molester)

Creating an environment where fellow pedophiles can come in and have unhindered access to children.

8. infamous [ˈɪnfəməs] - (adj.) - Well known for some bad quality or deed. - Synonyms: (notorious, disreputable, ill-famed)

Shirley Oaks, the now infamous Lambeth children's home.

9. coma [ˈkoʊmə] - (n.) - A state of deep unconsciousness that lasts for a prolonged or indefinite period, caused especially by severe injury or illness. - Synonyms: (unconsciousness, insensibility)

I ended up in coma, in a coma for quite a while in the intensive care unit.

10. recognition [ˌrɛkəɡˈnɪʃən] - (n.) - The acknowledgment of something's existence, validity, or legality. - Synonyms: (acknowledgment, acceptance, admission)

Painstakingly, over years, Sosas contacted survivors, taken testimony, fought hard for recognition of what happened.

Lambeth - The council where 700 children were abused by 120 paedophiles - BBC Newsnight

My name is James Kenny and I was in Lambeth children's homes between roughly 1986 to 1998. I used to think getting hit and getting abused sexually must be a normal thing, but you. You realize as you grow up, it isn't. James Kenny is one of hundreds of children who were abused while in the care of Lambeth, the south London borough where for decades, abusers acted with impunity. Your whole life in children's homes is just watch your back. That's how it felt every day. You could never relax. I mean, I'd be laying in my room and you'd hear your door open and it'd run chills down your back.

James grew up, tried to block out what had happened, and worked hard driving trucks, until six years ago when he heard a radio interview with a group called SoSA, the Shirley Oaks Survivors association. Straight away, I hear Lambeth. That's the trigger for me. And I'm half listening. Then they talk about Highland Road and South island. Were you in any of these homes? And I literally pulled the air brake up in my truck. I was just listening. And that was when this all started. It all came back to me about the abuse. Seeing people's faces. I was waking up, up terrorized in my sleep. I've. I didn't want to cry.

At the end of 2017, Lambeth apologized for the abuse people suffered and set up its children's homes redress scheme, the first of its kind in England. Instead of making survivors relive what happened in court, it's supposed to give them swift and compassionate redress of the scheme's costs go to the survivors, and the highest payout up to now has been 245,000 pounds. We can reveal that so far, Lambeth have accepted more than 700 people were abused as children while in their care. A startling number, but not the final tally. 723 people have been compensated for the abuse they suffered. 620 applications are still open and others may yet come forward. And the council has already spent more than 46 million pounds. How can you offer ten?

James turned down the council's first offer, which was then increased it's compensation for what happened to him at the hands of pedophiles like John Carroll, who was previously sentenced to ten years for what he did to other Lambeth kids. So it's not about the money, it's about just being told that it's not your fault, because you always blame yourself when this stuff happens to you. You just think, I must have annoyed him or I shouldn't have got in his way, or if I'd have stayed in the other room. That day I was put in Lambert's care. At three years old. It's likely the redress scheme wouldn't exist without this man.

I spent twelve years at Shirley Oaks. Raymond suffered years of violent physical abuse at Shirley Oaks, the now infamous Lambeth children's home. He and a colleague, Lucia, are behind Sosa, the group James heard interviewed on the radio. Jolly Oaks was on an 80 acre site. There was 38 cottages, and on one side it was a paradise. I mean, green fields, streams, football pitches, swimming, bath, everything a child could want behind the closed doors of your own particular house, cottage you were in. You know, hell was going on. So it was that pictorial paradise. But knowing secretly that it was surely hell.

Painstakingly, over years, Sosas contacted survivors, taken testimony, fought hard for recognition of what happened. Acting as counsellors, social workers and investigators, piecing together the horror, we quickly learned that there was a pattern of behaviour going on, creating an environment where fellow pedophiles can come in and have unhindered access to children. And once we realised it was the management, that was because at first we were just thinking, this cannot be luck. It can't be people. You know, they must have pre knowledge that there was a place you can go where you can get away with abuse.

Raymond told Newsnight Sosas identified 120 paedophiles operating in Lambeth children's homes between the 1950s and the 1990s. We've now established the council accepts that shocking figure because of the evidence the group's uncovered when it comes to redress. Sosa pushed for the compensation scheme, but is disappointed. We say they've deliberately dragged it out, make menial offers at first, maybe 30,001. Example, three months later, 60,000. And they often go up to 130,000 if you're that desperate. And some of our members are for the journey they've been on, they've accepted the 40,000 and the 50,000. It's horrendous for people to wait 18 months because actually the completion of the journey doesn't happen until they've been recompensed, until they've got their compensation. Case closed, received the letter of apology.

But we still have to remember this is still groundbreaking and there are people whose lives have been changed. So my name is Hasna Banu. I am a care child from Lambeth Children's Home from the years 1975 to 1980. Husn Husner attempted suicide two years ago. She blames the pressure of the redress process. I had to go through those procedures and start talking about those deep, dark things that only spoken in childhood. Now I'm an adult. And it broke me. It literally broke my every single being. And that resulted in a suicide attempt. I ended up in coma, in a coma for quite a while in the intensive care unit.

For decades, Hustner's been haunted by the memories of what happened to her. Within just a few weeks of moving to Shirley Oaks, she woke to see the child in the bed next to her, Dorothy Winter being raped by a member of staff. He went over to Dorothy's bed and put a pillow over her face and she was muffling and screaming. I just absolutely froze. Maybe 1015 minutes later, he was gone. And Dorothy is crying. She's weeping into her pillow. I tried to comfort her. Do you know what's happened to her? Is she someone you still know? She's dead. She killed herself. So sorry. Separated. Husner, too, was repeatedly raped.

She says both she and Dorothy were also drugged and sexually abused by staff. And exactly the same thing I described with Dorothy is the same thing that happened to me. And what age were you at this time? I must have been about 1212 and a half. Nearly five decades on. Reliving what had happened to her for the redress process brought the experiences back to the surface. I think there may have been a few times they were trying to get me out of my coma. And while I was awakening, I have flashbacks of these even now.

I thought that I had been kidnapped by my abusers and I was screaming, please don't rape me. Please don't. Don't rape me. I will be a good girl. Iranian born Husner has been compensated by Lambeth for sexual and racial abuse in their homes. Staff repeatedly used the most offensive language against her. I was called a filthy wog paky and said, don't worry, we'll get you scrubbed up white. I was literally locked up in this room for most of the day and I wasn't allowed to integrate with the rest of the children. I'm sure you've recognized the failings of, you know, children in care and the physical and sexual abuse that we incurred.

I don't think they've actually got to grips with the racial abuse and that, to me, is quite important. Despite the council's redress scheme, despite its high profile public apologies, some survivors say they haven't yet received what they were promised. They thought throwing money at people would mean that's the end of it. That's what they want. They want money. Give them money and they'll go away. But the thing I wanted from them was an apology and that shows that they were wrong and what happened to you was not normal.

You're supposed to get a written or verbal apology from Lambeth after you get paid out. Well, I got paid out in February. I'm still waiting for the apology. The council told Newsnight the pandemic has led to a delay in the apology process. When it comes to compensation, it's not just the living but the dead who suffered and are entitled to redress.

The schemes had 55 applications from the estates of people who died, including Husner's friend Dorothy Winter, who took her own life. That's the reason why I pursued this. I felt that I owed her that and I felt that it was important for me to say what had happened to us, to let her voice been heard from the grave. Do you feel her voice is being heard? Yeah, I feel so, yeah, definitely, definitely. She had the most incredible singing voice. Oh, my God, she could sing. And I would like to. I would like to think. And I can hear her singing. Yeah.

I'm going to break now. On Monday, the long running independent inquiry into child sexual abuse will turn its attentions to what happened in Lambeth's homes, another step, it's hoped, in the long road towards truth and justice. Up to now, only six people have ever been convicted. Katie Razel there. Details of organisations offering information and support with child sexual abuse, sexual abuse and sexual violence are available at BBC dot co dot UK actionline or you can call BBC action line for free at any time to hear recorded information on 080-07-7077 we asked Lambeth Council for a statement on our findings and they said, Lambeth Council gives a full apology for the abuse suffered at our former children's homes. The children and young people were betrayed by the organisation entrusted to protect them. And the redress scheme honours our pledge to face up to the mistakes of the past. Lambeth Council also went on to say that it had in no way sought to minimize people's entitlement to compensation.

Child Abuse, Lambeth Scandal, Compensation, Education, Inspiration, Global, Bbc Newsnight