Four chapters in the shocking 700-page report on historical sexual abuse at religious schools in Ireland start with a content warning. These chapters, by far the most harrowing and the most distressing, are the accounts from those who endured and survived extreme sexual violence and abuse in day and boarding schools across Ireland.
“Reading these accounts of abuse may be extraordinarily difficult, particularly for those who have been abused or whose loved ones have been abused,” the report warns. “It is no failing on any person’s part if they do not wish to do so.”
The scale of the sexual abuse revealed in the landmark report published yesterday is staggering. The report, which was written by senior counsel Mary O’Toole, contacted 73 religious orders that ran, or are still running, schools in Ireland.
Over 40 had records of historical sexual abuse allegations, across 22 counties in Ireland. The report said that sexual abuse happened between the 1960s and the early 1990s, with the highest number of reported incidents occurring in the early to mid-1970s.
The records also reveal a troubling “high” prevalence of alleged abuse in special schools, with 17 special schools recording 590 allegations involving 190 alleged abusers
After combing through the records, the report found that 42 religious orders had combined records of almost 2,400 allegations of sexual abuse at 308 schools.
The allegations were made against 884 people – many of whom were priests or teachers in positions of trust, with constant access to vulnerable children.
Over half of those accused in the religious orders’ records are now dead. The overwhelming majority of allegations relate to the sexual abuse of boys.
The records also reveal a troubling “high” prevalence of alleged abuse in special schools, with 17 special schools recording 590 allegations involving 190 alleged abusers.
Even before the shocking figures can be digested, the report warns that they likely barely scratch the surface.
Religious orders only have records of those who made allegations, and sexual abuse is typically under-reported.
The report warned: “There is reasonable cause to believe that further allegations of sexual abuse in schools will emerge, and that the numbers of allegations will exceed the number recorded in the religious orders’ records.”
While the figures included in the records of religious orders made national and international headlines yesterday, the most important parts of the report are the chapters devoted to the testimony of survivors. Almost 200 people offered written testimony of their experiences of abuse in schools, with 180 survivors going on to be interviewed for the report. It is impossible to overstate how deeply distressing and upsetting their testimony is.
Predatory priests and teachers would openly sexually abuse children in front of the class, in front of each other, with absolute impunity.
In some cases, paedophile priests would literally use their religious garb to mask the sexual abuse of children – attacking victims underneath cloaks and vestments in the middle of classrooms.
A staff member at one boarding school would go into the dorm at night, moving from bed to bed as they abused boys. “I was rigid with fear. I was an extremely innocent 12-year-old,” one survivor said.
Children went to extreme lengths to try to avoid going back to school and back to the abuse. One boy spent his entire summer holiday finding the perfect spot on the road near his house where he would be sure he would be hit by a car if he threw himself in front of it. Another who tried to avoid school would be locked in a classroom at break times, with the brother who had abused him.
The report details the harrowing testimony of children who did what they could to protect themselves. There is consistent evidence of the social standing of priests and power of the Catholic Church being exploited by abusers, who would go to children’s bedrooms on the pretence of offering them a “blessing”, or threaten children by telling them that their mother would not go to heaven if they told anyone what was happening.
Some children recalled being drugged before being sexually abused, while others said that abusers would go to great lengths to isolate them. One boy was given malaria tablets to make him sick, so that he could be targeted.
The report raises questions about the conspiracy of silence in schools, with many survivors explaining that the abuse was an open secret. In some schools, children tried to stop each other from being left alone with known abusers.
“Many spoke of being sexually abused in the presence of other children or adults, and others reported being sexually abused when alone with a teacher, priest or religious brother, other school staff or a visitor to their school. Many recounted that the sexual abuse had been ongoing, whilst others said it had occurred randomly, or followed a period of grooming, and was often reported as having been accompanied by ferocious violence,” the report said.
“Participants described being molested, stripped naked, raped and drugged amidst an atmosphere of terror and silence. Many spoke of their strong belief that what was happening was so pervasive that it could not possibly have gone unnoticed by other staff, and the members and leadership of the religious orders. Many participants [of the inquiry] were very clear in their belief that there had been a cover-up in their schools or by the religious order and some believed there was collusion between some institutions of the State and the church.”
The report heard from many survivors who said that “their childhood stopped the day the abuse started”. Suffering from sexual abuse had a lifelong effect on survivors, many of whom isolated themselves from friends and family, moved away from school and from their faith, or emigrated from Ireland altogether.
Many survivors were visibly upset when recalling their experiences, with some telling the inquiry that it was the first time they had ever spoken about them. Many men suffered from addiction, depression, broken relationships and suicidal ideation later in life.
The report pointed out that male victims of sexual violence can suffer differently from women, with many feeling societal pressure to suppress their feelings.
Some said that due to their experience, they felt that they could not go on to have children themselves. Those who did become parents felt they had to keep a physical distance from their own children. Many struggled to have intimate relationships.
Some struggled to attend the weddings or funerals of loved ones, because they were too afraid to go into a church.
The report has recommended a commission of investigation be set up, which the Government yesterday agreed to.
This will have to be a delicate process, as the report explains how survivors want a non-adversarial process but they are also keen that the commission is heard in public. While such commissions are traditionally held in private in Ireland, there is scope to ensure this one is open to the press and the public.
The report added that there should also be a survivor engagement programme, which would give people who cannot or do not want to give evidence before a commission the chance to “recount their experiences on a confidential basis and in a wholly non-adversarial environment”.
This less formal process, which would not take place in public, would also “allow the families of those who have died to be heard while also casting light on the wider impact of historical sexual abuse”.
It remains to be seen if having public hearings could affect the willingness of some religious orders to co-operate with the commission of investigation.
While the report found the majority of religious orders were willing “at least in principle” to co-operate with a future inquiry, some had put conditions or caveats on their willingness to provide testimony or key documents.
A number of orders also complained about what they perceived as a “narrow” focus on religious schools.
In response to this, the report has recommended that the State consider expanding the terms of a commission of investigation to include all schools. But, it stressed that this should not delay the setting up of the commission to deal with the allegations of abuse in religious-run schools. The report pointed out that many survivors, some of whom are now older, want the commission to be set up as soon as possible.
While there was “wide acknowledgment that redress can never heal the damage done to those who had experienced childhood sexual abuse”, the establishment of a redress scheme was extremely important to survivors who spoke to the Scoping Inquiry.
The report recommended that the Government ask religious orders to contribute to such a redress fund. But it is understood that such conversations have not yet started, and it is not yet known what kind of contribution can be expected from the religious orders.
Helplines: If you have been affected by the contents of this article, the organisation One in Four provides services to adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. One in Four can be contacted by calling 01 662 4070 or by completing the form at www.oneinfour.ie/contact