Katherine O'Leary: 'stifled and silenced by fear of a church that was revered’

I went to our local SuperValu for a few messages last Thursday. Joe Duffy was interviewing victims of abuse in schools throughout Ireland and beyond on Liveline on RTÉ Radio One.

The Hard Shoulder on Newstalk also covered the stories. To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I sat in the car unable to pull myself away.

We experienced all of these feelings of disgust and disbelief when the Ryan report was first published in 2009. Naively, we thought it had all come out. The harrowing stories were so shocking that there couldn’t possibly be more.

This week, a new report was published on the Scoping Inquiry into historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools run by religious orders.

At one point, I looked around the car park. I realised that there were seven other drivers sitting in their cars, five men and two women. We were immobilised, just sitting there listening. Joe took a break and we got out of our cars. We have the luxury of walking away while others live with the trauma daily.

How can this have happened to vulnerable little children? How come nobody spoke out? Listening to what the men and some women have been saying all week, it is clear that they were absolutely stifled and silenced by fear of a church that was revered by their parents.

The perpetrators were their teachers and oftentimes friends of the family. They seemed as if they were furthering the education of the victims, giving them special treatment. That was the way the abusers worked, making sure the young victims were isolated and terrified. The fear protected the abuser.

Feeling powerless

What we have been hearing all week is so scandalous that the enormity of it just takes your breath away.

It will take a colossal commitment by Government and its agencies to continue to uncover the naked and horrible truth of physical, emotional and sexual abuse that children and young adults endured over decades.

There were over 308 schools involved and 17 special needs institutions. I will be honest, the idea of students with additional needs being targeted in this way makes me want to vomit.

The religious orders have been asked to contribute to the redress board so that victims can be compensated. Furthermore, they need to out the perpetrators themselves

The depravity involved is beyond normal comprehension. How can the voices of these vulnerable people ever be properly heard?

People entrusted with uncovering the full truth will have to be fearless in the quest for justice for the voices that we heard all last week and for those who cannot speak.

Reach out for help

We listened to tough stories. I heard one man describe how he was driving along the road and saw a truck coming towards him. He thought of driving under it to end the constant memory of the abuse he suffered.

We got some sense of the victims’ emotional turmoil. We empathised with the loneliness of their journeys and I certainly felt powerless.

I’m still left thinking that I lived through this time. I never noticed or have never known anyone that has been abused. How can that be?

Yes, I was slapped in school. We all were and we just accepted it without protest. I went to boarding school. I had a good experience of education as it should be for everyone.

I commend the bravery of those people I listened to since this report was published. You have had to relive the horrors in order for people like me to understand what you went through.

If you are still out there suffering in silence, maybe now is the time to reach out for help.

The religious orders have been asked to contribute to the redress board so that victims can be compensated. They must and furthermore, they need to out the perpetrators themselves. They know who they are.

The arms of the state have to doggedly follow this through to obtain closure for so many victims.

We have come a long way in terms of child protection. There is a dedicated Minister for Children and a specific child and family agency and many other state arms that protect vulnerable people.

The primary protectors of children are still their parents. Ensure that you can talk to your children and that they can talk to you. Be certain that if anything happens to your child that they have the words to tell you about it. Then you go straight to the Gardaí.

Helplines: One in Four provides services to adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. One in Four can be contacted at 01 662 4070 or by completing the form at oneinfour.ie/contact.

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