Not Being Heard

by Anne Kelly
(British Columbia, Canada)

I am a woman of 58 who grew up on northern Canadian military bases. I was a child of 8 when I came to Canada with my parents and two sisters. At the age of 11, I was molested by the DND (Department of National Defence) employed principal of the school where I attended for two years. This military compound had no media or television, and every house was furnished like the others.

My younger sister and I were abused my two other military men, which began when we arrived in Canada; I was 8 and Mary was 7. In the military, you often meet people from other bases. It was like a nightmare come true in the 50's and 60's to encounter such men as had abused us before. Although this was reported at the time in the 60's; it took me until the 90's to look at how this had affected my life: in a way that I will never recover.

In 1998, two men from the DND military police came to my home in Duncan, British Columbia. They interviewed me and they left. I never heard from them. Ten days later, I called their office in Edmonton. They informed me that the "statute of limitations" had run out in one case. In the 2nd case, I was asked whether or not "do you really want to charge a 92-year-old?" The 92-year-old was the principal of the Protestant DND School in Parent, Quebec. This man tormented me from the age of 11 - 13 everyday for two years. His wife, Helen, was my teacher. It is the responsibility of the DND to provide schools whereby the principal is not a child molester! In the 3rd case, I was told that the RCMP in (location not disclosed)...may be interested.

Today, when I ask for a copy of the review and the decision, I am told that the papers are in the vault and I will have to go through some procedure to look at them. How many others were molested by these three men?

Thank you for this forum which helps me to speak, at least and at last, about my experience as an immigrant child disguised by white skin and blue eyes. Thank you for this opportunity to be heard.

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