From the Telegraph:
JK Rowling has offered to fund a legal fight against a secure unit that housed a 13-year-old girl alongside older male teenagers.
Human rights inspectors found an orphaned girl – who had been transferred to St Mary’s Kenmure in Bishopbriggs, Glasgow, from England – was placed in the same accommodation block as boys aged between 15 and 17.
The girl complained about feeling unsafe, as the older boys were young offenders, but her request to move had been denied, inspectors from the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture found.
Jesus. What an utter disgrace.
The revelations prompted Rowling to say she would be willing to fund a new round of legal action against the unit, which is used to house troubled teenagers.
Responding to a report detailing the findings in the Sunday Express, the Harry Potter author wrote on X: “Who does it hurt if we make every space mixed sex?
“This is who it hurts: the most vulnerable; those without power and influence; the invisible people politicians don’t bother to consider when chasing likes and photo ops.”…
The Council of Europe inspectors, who toured the facility last year, wrote: “At the time of the visit, St Mary’s held an orphaned, English 13-year-old girl (the only girl) sent by English social services due to a lack of provision.
“To avoid isolating her, she was held with sentenced and remanded boys aged between 15 and 17 years old. She had officially complained about being held with young offender adolescent boys and ‘not feeling safe, due to past bad experiences’ and had requested transfer to the empty houseblock.
“The request had been denied.”
Other problems included “dangerously low” staffing levels, toilet water running into bedrooms from the showers and security being regularly breached.
The icing on the cake: a fatuous by-the-numbers response:
A spokesman for St Mary’s Kenmure told The Times: “While we do not comment on the circumstances of individual children, the safety, wellbeing and protection of every child in our care is our first and immediate priority.
“All placements are subject to careful assessment and matching processes involving the placing authority and our own multidisciplinary teams.”
Multidisciplinary teams, no less.
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