'He would hold a gun to my head'; Abuse ran the gamut for city woman who spent years in foster care

Terri Saunders

Friday, November 17, 2006 - 10:00

Local News - In both soft whispers and a strong, confident voice, a city woman Thursday recalled years of physical, verbal and sexual abuse she says she suffered in the 14 years she spent in foster care. Roberta Archambault is a member of The Victims Group and was testifying at the Cornwall Public Inquiry.

Now 41 years old, Archambault remembers with clarity the day she and her six siblings were taken from their home and spread out among several foster homes around eastern Ontario.

"Someone came along and packed us all into a white station wagon," she said. "There was no explanation; no nothing."

Just five years old at the time, Archambault wasn't fully aware of the troubles her mother was having caring for her, her five brothers and her sister. According to records, Archambault's mother was incapable of providing for her seven children and instead agreed to have them become wards of the Crown.

Archambault and her sister were sent together to a foster home - the first of several places she would call home over the course of her childhood and teenaged years. In some homes, the care was good and she felt comfortable, she told the inquiry. But in others, the story was much different.

"He would hold a gun to my head," she said, her voice quiet but deliberate as she recounted what would become regular encounters with one foster father. "I was in there (his bedroom) to dust the furniture. I never understood why he had to always be in there cleaning his gun."

Archambault said the man would hold the gun to her head while telling her he could easily bury her in the backyard and nobody would care because she was a "problem child."

Archambault also talked about being sexually assaulted by the son of another foster father, abuse she says that wasn't limited to her. She said she remembered hearing stories about other girls who had been abused by the son and even heard tales of girls being taken to Montreal for abortions.

She recalled one night in particular when she was preparing to go to bed and came upon another foster child who was crying.

"She told me he had been touching her inappropriately," said Archambault.

"I changed beds with her. She didn't belong there; she was only there temporarily. I had already been abused."

Archambault said she remembers the son entering the room and approaching the bed where she lay awake.

"He came in there thinking it was her in the bed," said Archambault. "When I raised my voice, he left."

Physical, verbal and sexual abuse became a regular part of her life throughout many of her years in foster care, the woman said.

Records related to her care during that time mention complaints she made against one foster family's son, but for the most part contain suggestions everything was going well in the homes where Archambault was living.

"You can't say anything when your abuser is in the next room," said Archambault, explaining why during interviews with various case workers she didn't disclose details of the abuse. "I was under the impression I was going home. I figured if I just shut up, everything would be okay."

No criminal charges were ever laid against any individuals in relation to Archambault's allegations.

The inquiry continues today.