Commission Report is Shocking Litany of Abuse and Suffering

Commission Report is Shocking Litany of Abuse and Suffering

I am pleased to announce a Joint Statement issued by Alan Shatter TD, Fine Gael Spokesperson on Children and Brian Hayes TD, Fine Gael Spokesperson on Education

The report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse published today discloses an appalling litany of sexual abuse, physical brutality and neglect of children perpetrated in institutions throughout the State for decades. It is scandalous that even at this stage in the context of the information disclosed that some religious congregations, such as the Christian Brothers and the Brothers of Charity, whilst acknowledging that some abuse took place in institutions for which they were responsible deny congregational responsibility for such abuse. This is so even where it is clear that known abusers were moved from one institution to another and reports of abuse were covered up.

The abject failure of the State and the Department of Education in particular, to enforce its own rules and regulations with regard to the treatment of children in institutional care and the gross inadequacy of the inspectorate system deprived the victims of abuse of the State protection to which they were entitled. It should not be ignored that the State’s failures with regard to children in institutional care continued up until the mid 1990s during which time children in St Joseph’s School for the Deaf in Cabra continued to be the victims of bullying, abuse and physical punishment.

Despite the apology given in 1999 by Bertie Ahern TD as Taoiseach to the victims of abuse, publication of today’s report should not result in anyone being misled into believing that all is now well with our childcare services. The Fianna Fáil-led Governments in office since 1999 have abysmally failed in their duty to protect children and that failure continues to this day. Today’s report recommends that the 1999 National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children (Children First) should be uniformly and consistently implemented throughout the State in dealing with allegations of abuse and neglect. Despite their being in place for 10 years there has been an abject failure on the part of the Government to ensure the guidelines are properly applied. It is inexcusable that it is again necessary for such a recommendation to be made.

The report also recommends that “childcare rules and regulations be enforced, breaches reported and sanctions applied” and that “management at all levels should be accountable for the quality of services and care”.
These are areas that have not simply been ignored but deliberately avoided by Government and in particular by the present Minister for Children. Instead of the providers of our childcare services being held accountable for the quality of services provided, the welfare and safety of children is protection of the reputation of those who fail to properly implement our childcare laws and guidelines. As was evident from the treatment last week of the Monageer Report the culture of secrecy and cover up is alive and well.

The failures of the Department for Education highlighted by today’s report are reinforced by the subsequent failure of the Fianna Fáil-led Government to adequately negotiate compensation from the religious orders for their part in the horrors perpetrated on children. Just over half of the €128 million agreed as part of that compensation scheme has been recovered by the State the total of which is estimated to be in the region of €1.1 billion.

Today’s report has been almost a decade in the making but the victims who suffered the barbaric and sadistic abuse described in it have waited a lifetime to see it published. We are now calling on Ministers O’Keefe and Andrews and the Government to schedule a debate on today’s Report at the earliest opportunity to discuss the serious policy implications the Report has for child protection in this country.