In recent months the media has been packed with articles about the abuse of people when they were children.
Some of these tales go back nearly half a century.
Before that, we had the Prime Minister apologising for Britain's involvement in the slave trade, some 200 years ago.
Now, without ever wanting to trivialise those issues, I got to thinking...
During my own childhood, I was the victim of physical abuse on multiple occasions.
The headmaster would rap my palm with a cane, the maths teacher would clatter my ears for not paying attention, the french teacher put the 3-foot board ruler across my backside on many occasions.
The PE teacher slapped the bag of my legs, Deputy head would force unruly lads to attend judo class and there he would ensure that punishment was meted out directly and painfully. The list goes on and on.
Is it unfair to say that there was a 'culture of physical abuse' endemic in my school and many others?
To compound this, I have to admit that my parents were complicit in this abuse, and if I got a clout from a teacher, they either agreed with it, or gave me another clout for getting into trouble.
The local policeman towed me home by the ear-lobe when he discovered me on top of the bus shelter!
Only my Grandma stood in the way of this tidal wave of violence. In her eyes I could do no wrong, and she would willingly have meted out vengeance to my aggressors if she could. (God bless her)
Now, on reflection I think I deserve an apology from the current Education Minister, a 7-figure financial settlement from the police commissioner, and the immediate arrest of my parents in connection with these matters.
Everything seemed so normal to me until I saw all these news stories recently.
But now, I realise that my life has been a litany of abuse and torment.
Perhaps other Forum members have similar 'harrowing' tales, and we could form a support group?