Human Rights A Day

A 25-year wait for apology ends for orphanage’s abuse victims.The Roman Catholic lay order of the Congregation of Christian Brothers began running an orphanage in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1892. The first formal complaints of sexual, physical and psychological abuse were levelled in 1970. Newfoundland police investigated the first serious allegations in 1975. After 12 years of stalls and cover-ups, former Catholic priest James Hickey went to jail for five years; others followed. When more victims came forward, the orphanage was forced to close in 1990. On April 3, 1992, the Congregation of the Christian Brothers formally apologized to the abused victims and announced that the orphanage would be torn down and the land sold to pay for programs for the former residents. Although legal battles continued for years, little compensation went to the victims. Eventually, victims’ lawyers tried a new tactic and searched for other Christian Brothers property. Finally, on the other side of the country, Vancouver Colleg