Jimmy Savile – Excuses, Cover-ups and Ignorance.
The information contained in the Jimmy Savile reports will not be a surprise to those who have been following this horrific case.
Aside from sexually assaulting women & children who were both patients & staff of NHS facilities, it is clear that he sexually assaulted dead people - after being given unfettered access to the mortuary, as well as other areas of both health & psychiatric care centres.
One thing that has stood out is the issue of reporting. Many people reported Jimmy Savile as a sexual predator. These reports came from victims, parents & carers of victims & nursing staff who were also victims of Savile's abuse. What is clear, is that those reports didn't reach senior managers within those NHS facilities and we'd like to consider why that might be.
Jimmy Savile was a popular celebrity. He raised a lot of money for institutions who were struggling to fund services to patients and their relatives - the NHS never has enough money to provision all the services that the public require, and charitable funds go a long way towards providing those additional touches that make an NHS in-patient stay more comfortable and manageable. What appears to have happened, is that Jimmy Savile's fame and celebrity status have made him into a figure that couldn't be criticised. Because if he were criticised, he may well take his money and his fame elsewhere...
The issue of senior management being ignorant about the abuse Savile undertook is one that we find difficult to believe. It cannot be possible that a hospital radio DJ, TV presenter, fundraiser is given access to areas of NHS facilities that were secure, or restricted without senior managers approving this. Indeed, it is apparent that his access to Broadmoor was approved at government level.
If no 'junior level' staff (and by this, we mean ward staff, those working most closely with patients) did not report any of the allegations to senior management, we must ask ourselves - Why? What culture existed in these organisations? How did this culture impact the communication between patient-level staff and senior management? What would have prevented those staff or patients whistleblowing Savile's activities?
It appears that these organisations have questions to answer. It is not enough to say "senior staff didn't know" as an explanation for their lack of action against Savile. It is not enough to conclude that 'if only patient level staff had spoken up'. It is not enough to conclude that "safeguarding policies are now in place to prevent this happening again". It is not enough to conclude that Jimmy Savile was a lone, sexual predator given incomprehensible access to restricted, high security units, NHS wards & resting places for the dead without somebody at senior level knowing why he wanted this level of freedom.
It is highly unlikely that no-one at management or higher level knew what Savile was up to. It is highly unlikely that he acted alone. However, it is also highly unlikely that we will ever get to know either the full details of who made these decisions regarding his access, or that they are sanctioned for placing women & children in their care at such a high level of risk.
After all, Savile is dead & we don't have an ongoing problem with sexual abuse in institutions where vulnerable people are being cared for. Apparently.
We just don't buy it.
[Added by Admin - this is also an interesting read re: Savile]
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I’m pleased to see coverage of this. As a child abuse survivor who stayed silent for years, I, like many many other people, have found the coverage has made it easier to tell people what happened to me. Everyone in the country has seen something about Jimmy Savile and it is now possible to introduce the subject that way.
However, you have referred to girls and women being abused. The Guardian’s lead story today says that the victims were men, women, boys and girls. The Guardian online yesterday quoted a man who was assaulted by Savile on a hospital trolley when he was a young boy. He told his mother, but she got angry and told him not to tell lies. Finally, in his 60s he has been heard.
I am also in my 60s and over the years remember hearing speculation about Savile’s sexuality. Was he ‘into’ boys? Was it teenage girls? Now we know. Nobody was safe, even after death.
It’ s hard for those who would never abuse to stretch their imaginations that far. But we have to try for the sake of the victims All of them.
The irony is despite all the Saville information…corrupt police are STILL covering up for those police & other officials in authority who are STILL turning a blind eye to historic child rape & perpetuating the victimisation of historic child rape survivors.
Example : my own westcountry Police Crime Commissioner who has BLOCKED information from being sent to him as a multiple Child Rape survivor & victim of multiple abusive police misconduct & further victimisation carried out by police (but then my local PCC is a self confessed Tory & we all now know how far in bed with Saville they were!)
http://everydayvictimblaming.com/submissions/child-rapists-how-police-protect-their-own/
Saville reports change nothing whilst police continue to cover up!
I saw a worrying article on the Telegraph website last night. Jeremy Hunt was quoted as saying how Saviles victims were too frightened to come forward.
a. If they were that is NOT their fault.
b. There were many victims who DID speak up and they were not believed, belittled,told they were silly and in at least one case, locked in solitary confinement for three days. I really hope this isn’t the beginning of subtle victim blaming. Because I have a horrible feeling that the rewriting of history is beginning already.