A scoping inquiry report into sexual abuse at schools run by religious orders has been welcomed by survivors as they feel they are “not alone and their stories can be believed”, a solicitor representing victims has said.
Avril Scally, who is representing a number of survivors, said the report had been welcomed as “the level of abuse is now out in the open”.
Ms Scally, who is partner at law firm Lavelle Partners LLP, said: “One survivor told me that ‘a burden has been lifted off his shoulders’. The survivor’s voices, long silenced by fear and shame, must now be heard and respected.
“This report is only the beginning of a healing process for them, a necessary journey towards accountability.”
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An initial scoping report published this week found a systemic culture of abuse in religious run day and boarding schools throughout the country, with 2,395 allegations of abuse reported against 884 people.
In response, the Government has committed to establish a full Commission of Investigation into past abuse in schools.
The Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon, said the Commission of Investigation should be established without delay and include all schools.
In a statement, Dr Muldoon said the State must “finally deal with this issue fully and comprehensively”.
“The scoping inquiry into historical sexual abuse again throws light on the diabolical treatment of children at religious institutions in the last century and the appalling way their childhoods were stolen from them by those tasked with protecting them,” he said.
“Fifteen years since the Ryan Report was finalised and nearly twenty years since Ferns was published, we are still having to recognise the hurt caused to survivors of clerical sex abuse in this country.”
Dr Muldoon added that the treatment of children, now adults, at religious institutions needed to be “utterly condemned by the State and we must be reassured that this and future generations of children are safe”.
Deirdre Kenny, chief executive of One in Four, a charity that supports adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse said she believed the Commission of Inquiry could be “one of the biggest” the State has ever had.
Ms Kenny said the organisation had been inundated with calls over the past 24 hours from survivors and their families, many of whom were “very distressed”.
“This type of abuse is underreported, especially in relation to men and the figures from the scoping inquiry relate to the allegations that mostly the religious orders have got,” she told The Irish Times.
“We can expect, I would suggest, a far greater number, especially if a commission to inquire is opened to include all schools.
“I suspect in the next three to six months we will have a better idea of the amount of people who have been specifically impacted by this ... At least one of the survivors who took part in the scoping inquiry related to abuse in the noughties, around the 2000s. Often people don’t come forward, maybe until their children are a bit older, until their parents have passed, it could indicate there’s another generation of people who are maybe in their 30s and 40s now who may come forward in the future.”
Ms Kenny added that it was important a redress scheme was established and that religious orders must show “real leadership”.
“Compensation is a key part, it doesn’t in any way and cannot compensate people for the enormous harm people have experienced but it certainly is a valuable recognition and goes some way to acknowledging the harm,” she said.
In a statement, the Spiritan Education Trust of schools formerly run by the Holy Ghost Fathers, acknowledged the publication of the Scoping Inquiry Report by the Minister for Education Norma Foley.
The trust said it unequivocally condemned all forms of sexual abuse that took place in Spiritan schools as “heinous crimes perpetrated against the most vulnerable”.
“We readily acknowledge the hurt caused to survivors of sexual abuse and extend our heartfelt sympathy to all those who suffered,” it said.
“We pay tribute to those who have come forward and to all those who worked tirelessly on the Scoping Inquiry to ensure that all voices could be heard.”
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