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Order 1588473 - British Children Sent To Australia
Order 1588473 - British Children Sent To Australia
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The home children are one of the grand schemes founded in 1869 by Annie MacPherson
in which more than 100000 children had been sent from the UK to Australia, South Africa,
Canada, and New Zealand. The scheme and program had been largely discontinued in the 1930s;
however, not completely terminated until the 1970s. Later the research starting in the 1980s
exposed the hardships and the abuse that relocated children underwent. Moreover, about 130000
children who had been sent to particular colonies in the period of 1920s and the 1970s
experienced hard labor, servitude, and abuse. This paper will address the problem of the children
sent to Australia and the problems that they experienced, such as maltreatment and how they
suffered.
More than 130000 children were migrated and sent on a "better life" program to previous
colonies, primarily Canada and Australia, from the years 1920 to the ‘70s on Child Migrant
Programme. The kids between ages three and fourteen were particularly invariably from poor
settings and backgrounds. Many people, including the children's parents, believed they were
going to have a better life. The charities, including the catholic church, Barnado's, and the
Fairbridge Society and the Anglican church and local authorities, assisted with the organization
of the migration (The Guardian). When the kids had reached their destination-Australia, they
were often reminded they were orphans to initiate their fresh beginning better. The majority of
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the parents were single parents who were forced to give their children for adoption due to the
social stigma and poverty. The parents believed they were giving their children a chance at a
better life despite not knowing the details about where their children were going. However, the
majority of the children faced and experienced hardships such as childhood of bondage and
forced and hard labor in nurture homes. Additionally, they also underwent servitude in remoted
farms, church-run institutions, and state-operated orphanages. Moreover, they were usually
detached from their siblings, and some were even exposed to sexual and physical abuse (BBC).
Therefore, the children underwent grave maltreatment and suffering. Even though they had put
trust in their government and agencies, they had failed in their duty to care for the children. As a
result, the children were denied a childhood, their identity, family, and a sense of belonging.
Some of the children underwent grave physical child abuse and sexual abuse, which was a
There were numerous actors who were involved in organizing the migration and transfer
of the children to Australia. The philanthropists believed that sending the children thousands of
miles to Canada and Australia was performing a charitable deed. Charity organizations like the
Barnado's, the catholic, and the Anglican church helped organize the emigration of the children
aged between 3 and 24 years of age. Additionally, the local authorities within Britain were also
involved in helping further the scheme. Additionally, the Fairbridge society farm school was also
a significant actor involved in the Child Migrants Programme. The children who had been sent to
the farm school narrate the deal of suffering and neglect they underwent. For instance, according
to the guardian, Obrien, one of the children who had been taken to Fairbridge state, life had been
brutal and cruel (The Guardian). The children had no shoes, coats and were often usually
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physically and mentally abused. Moreover, The Bindoon Boys Town, which was a Christina
Brothers institution near Perth, was involved in establishing cruelty to innocent children. The
Guardian magazine presents the narration of Tony Costa, who had been taken to the Bindoon
Boys Town. According to Costa at Bindoon, he was subjected to endless cement mixing, brick
making, and carting them up a ramp without a safety measure, no shoes, and whenever a brick
The child migrant programme was developed by Annie Macpherson in the year 1869.
The program saw the migration of numerous children from the UK to Australia and Canada. The
program had two primary aims, for instance, to ease the load on the UK children's home and also
boost the populaces of the colonies. The program aimed to help alleviate the labor shortages in
the colonies. The program targeted younger children from single parents living in poverty and
hoped to ensure their children attained a better life (The Guardian). As stated earlier, the targeted
children by the programme were children between the ages of three and fourteen. Some of the
colonies that the migrant children helped serve included the swan river colony in Australia and
The program adversely impacted the lives of the children. From the research and
encounters that the children had undergone during their tender ages, much had been taken away
from them. From analyses of their experiences and encounters while in foreign countries, the
children admitted to the disservice and maltreatments they were subjected to. For instance,
according to the BBC, Rex Wade, who had been taken to Australia at the age of 10, remembers
the verbal, physical, and mental abuse he had undergone in Australia (BBC). According to him,
he had lost everything he had at the tender age of 10, for instance, his family and relationships.
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Even at an older age, Rex Wade admits it is difficult to deal with and get over with the particular
encounters. Additionally, another victim John Glynn also states the program took away his
childhood. He had been sent to western Australia at eight years of age. John narrates how he had
been told he wasn't loved by his family, and while in Australia, he was beaten brutally and
sexually abused. While he is grown, he says he thinks that a lot now and understands how his
childhood, heritage, and country had been taken away from him.
The government of Britain and the Australian government have since apologized for the
maltreatment of the children sent to Australia. For instance, the United Kingdom prime minister
offered an official apology to express regret for the ill-advised programme. As a result, the
government promised to offer £20000 as compensation for the mistreatment (The Guardian).
Notably, the former migrants feel that even though they could not acquire justice while they were
young, they would love to die knowing that justice was served. Even though they have not joined
the organizations that have asked for an apology and reparations, it is only great that the
government ensures justice prevails. This is because the government was culpable on many
fronts. For instance, it failed to protect the children, failed to respond to abuse cries, and did not
want to jeopardize its relationships with the Australian government. The experiences
encountered by the children during their tender ages were unimaginable, and while measures are
taken to avoid such injustices in the future, the adults who were maltreated should receive
reparations.
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Works Cited
BBC. "UK child migrants sent to Australia sue government over abuse." BBC, 2018.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-45340295#:~:text=More%20than%20100%20Britons
%20who,over%20the%20abuse%20they%20suffered.&text=Between
%201945%2D70%2C%20some%204%2C000,sent%20to%20Australia%20and
%20Zimbabwe.
The Guardian. "UK child migrants sent to Australia offered $36k compensation." The
Guardian, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/feb/01/uk-child-migrants-
sent-to-australia-offered-just-20k-compensation#:~:text=Under%20the%20programme
%2C%20more%20than,hard%20labour%20in%20foster%20homes.