Independent probe sought
Survivors want top human rights lawyer to lead Dilworth inquiry
Survivors of sexual abuse at Auckland’s Dilworth School are asking the school to appoint high-profile human rights lawyer Frances Joychild, QC, to head its inquiry.
The Dilworth Trust Board released scoping documents for consultation on its proposed inquiry in March.
The survivor network has provided feedback on the scheme. It represents more than 130 men who have joined a Human Rights Commission class action, alleging Dilworth staff failed to protect students from systemic sexual abuse.
One of the network’s lawyers, Rachael Reed QC, announced on Tuesday the group would like human rights lawyer Frances Joychild QC to lead the school’s inquiry.
Reed said Joychild had a ‘‘wealth of experience’’ and was renowned for her advocacy.
‘‘Survivors and their families can be confident an inquiry led by Ms Joychild, QC, would be conducted independently to uncover the full extent of what was allowed to happen, and by whom,’’ Reed said.
Stuff contacted Joychild but she declined to comment.
The human rights lawyer has represented Lake Alice survivors at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care.
Other highlights of her career include conducting a wideranging inquiry into sexual harassment in the Defence Force in 2017.
She also represented the Islamic Women’s Council at the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Christchurch Mosque Attacks in 2020.
Reed said the inquiry into sexual abuse at Dilworth would need to access and review records, question former staff and Trust Board members and other witnesses.
‘‘Survivors of sexual abuse and their families deserve to know the full truth about Dilworth’s role in allowing boys in its care to be sexually abused at Dilworth for more than four decades.’’
She said the network had provided extensive feedback to Dilworth on the proposed inquiry and redress scheme and still had a number of concerns.
Members wanted to see the inquiry head given powers to investigate, rather than have to rely on Dilworth releasing relevant documents.
The school had also announced a redress scheme that is intended to run at the same time as the inquiry.
It was proposing to cap compensation at $200,000 for each survivor but Reed said the figure needed to be $500,000 in order to reflect the lifelong trauma and harm that survivors had endured.
The inquiry’s draft terms said it would look at the extent of the abuse and the factors that caused or contributed to it, from 1950 onwards.
The draft terms said the inquiry would also look at ‘‘the actions of Dilworth School, its trustees, officers, and staff in responding to complaints of abuse including the adequacy of those actions and whether there were any actions to suppress the reporting of abuse’’.
The school’s cut-off date for feedback on both the inquiry’s terms of reference and the redress scheme is today.
The proposed inquiry and redress scheme documents can be found at dilworthresponse.org.nz.