Children learn Holocaust lessons

PRIMARY school children from across Liverpool united at Liverpool Town Hall on Wednesday, 27 January 2010, to hear the stories of people affected by the Holocaust.  Members of the Lower House of the Parliament – made up of young people from Liverpool primary schools – meet three women who fled to the UK to escape the Holocaust. They heared about their experiences took part in questions and discussions.  The event came the day after National Holocaust Memorial Day and was part of the Parliament’s contribution to the commemorations.  

Speaking to the young people was Inge Goldrein, who is a retired circuit judge, who escaped to the UK in 1939, aged 8, on the Kindertransport from Vienna. She went to live with the Bernstein family in Liverpool. After the war, when it became clear that Inge had lost all her family in the Holocaust, she was adopted by the Bernsteins.

Also sharing her experiences was Hana Eardley. Born in Pilzen, Czechoslovakia, Hana came to England with her twin brother Hans on a Kindertansport in August 1939. Her sister Greta was on a Kindertransport train one month later on the day that war broke out - the train was turned back.

Hana’s parents, sister and many of her family members perished in the Holocaust. Hana and Hans were brought up by non-Jewish families - Hana by Mr. & Mrs. Crookes in Sheffield and Hans by Mr. & Mrs. Mulroy in Rotherham, who adopted him. Hana, a retired teacher, now lives in Liverpool. She has four nieces and nephews (her brother’s children) and eight great nieces and nephews.

The third speaker was Sonia Strong, who was born in Magdeburg, Germany. Sonia’s family fled Hitler’s persecution against Jews in 1934. Tragically, Sonia’s grandparents and uncle did not leave and were deported to Concentration Camps. Her grandfather died in Theresienstadt, her grandmother was murdered in Auschwitz and her uncle was murdered in Dachau Concentration Camp.

Sonia, who lives in Liverpool and has two sons and five grandchildren, recently returned to Magdeburg for the unveiling of Stolpersteine – a memorial stone commemorating those deported and killed by the Nazis - outside her grandparent’s home.

After hearing the stories, the youngsters then got the opportunity to ask questions and take part in discussions about celebrating diversity and fighting intolerance and prejudice.

Liverpool City Council’s executive member for education, Councillor Keith Turner, said before the event that:- “It’s vital that we never forget those who suffered and died during the Holocaust. A key part of this is educating future generations so that they can work together to make sure such atrocities can never happen again. This event will give our young people the chance to hear first hand accounts of how prejudice and intolerance destroys lives. It will also give them the chance to ask questions and explore how they can play their part in creating a more tolerant, peaceful and just society.”

As part of the event, Liverpool’s Young Lord Mayor, Sophie Warburton, a Year 6 pupil at Lister Juniors, read the Anne Frank Declaration on behalf of Liverpool schools. The declaration vows to stand up for what is right; defend those who cannot defend themselves; and strive for a world in which everyone is treated fairly and has an equal chance in life. 

Police figures show over 21,000 child sex offences last year says NSPCC

EVERY day last year an average of nearly 60 sex offences against children were recorded by police in England and Wales the NSPCC revealed on Monday 25 January 2010.

The statistics, obtained under a Freedom of Information request from all 43 forces in England and Wales, show under 18's were victims of sex crimes, including rape, gross indecency and incest, on 21,618 occasions during 2008 to 2009.

One in seven of the children (3,035) were younger than 10 and, of these, 1,000 were five and under. In more than three out of four cases the offences were committed against those aged 10 to 17 (17,091).

The statistics show girls were six times more likely than boys to be the victims of a sex crime. And the number of incidents where the offender knew the victim was four times higher than those involving strangers.

Latest figures from Merseyside Police show that there were 246 known sex offences against young people in 2008 to 2009 with 37 being 11 years old or younger.

The Home Office gathers data from police forces for its annual crime report, which shows there was a total of 51,4884 for all sexual offences in 2008 to 2009, including both adults and children and only splits the figure to show those over or under 13. Combining these statistics blurs the picture and even though detailed age breakdowns of victims are collected by police they are not passed to the Home Office.

This is the second year5 the NSPCC has collected this data and it is again calling on the UK Government to publish these details and to clearly link them with the number of convictions and other penalties resulting from the recorded offences. This information could then feed into a national sex abuse prevention strategy as well as helping the development of local services to treat child victims.

NSPCC director of strategy and development Phillip Noyes said:- “We know that as most abuse goes unreported, such figures can only ever give an indication of the true extent of the problem.

Many children do not speak out about the sexual abuse they have suffered because they are scared they will not be believed, but help is always available to them through such services as ChildLine, the free, confidential 24 hour helpline number:- 0800 1111 provided by the NSPCC.

Children and young people can also log on to:- www.childline.org.uk for help and advice.

We also need to remember that some children are so young they find it difficult to protect themselves or tell anyone what is happening.

So it is vital that adults look out for them and call the NSPCC Helpline:- 0808 800 5000 or email:- help@nspcc.org.uk, if they are concerned.”