Scottish children’s charity Quarriers apologized yesterday to children migrated through the organization and to children who suffered abuse following migration.
Thousands of children were emigrated from Scotland by the Quarriers organization during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Almost all of them were sent to Canada and some were later sent to Australia.
Alice Harper, chief executive of Quarriers, said: “While people and organizations including Quarriers believed at the time that the UK Government’s international migration scheme offered the chance of a better life, it was misguided and wrong. Vulnerable children were sent away and we recognize that some also suffered physical and emotional abuse, including sexual abuse.”
The apology came as phase five of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry began in Edinburgh.
Claire Mitchell QC on behalf of Quarriers read an opening statement to the inquiry. She said, “When (philanthropist) William Quarrier founded the organization in 1871, his objective was to provide a better life for children who were destitute or whose parents were no longer able to care for them. The organization provided homes and education for children.
“Quarriers also played a significant role in the migration of children from Scotland. Children were initially migrated to Canada and later to Australia.”
Between 1872 and 1938, Quarriers arranged for more than 7,000 children to be sent to Canada. The majority of these children were sent to Quarriers’ Canadian receiving centre Fairknowe in Brockville, Ontario which was opened in 1887. From there they were sent on to farms in the Canadian countryside.
Those under twelve were adopted and worked as part of the family to earn their keep. The older children were indentured and paid a small wage for their work. The intention was that the children would be able to learn farm work and to make a living from that.
Between 1939 and 1963, 38 children were migrated to Australia.
While many, including Quarriers, believed at the time that migration programs offered children the chance of a better life, Quarriers now acknowledges that the policy of child migration was misguided and wrong.
Quarriers has engaged with those who migrated to Canada and their descendants. A number of reunions and visits have taken place. A descendant of a Canadian migrant child was a member of Quarriers’ Board of Trustees between 1998 and 2009.
Quarriers also helps migrant children and their families trace their roots and to have access to their records.
