Abuse victims take claims to court

AS many as 1,500 victims of institutional abuse are preparing to flood the High Court with compensation claims in a last ditch effort to get justice, a lobby group for survivors claims.

Only 13 of the 1,300 victims who showed a willingness to co-operate with the Laffoy Commission and go before the Redress Board have had their cases heard to date. The majority of these are now preparing to reject the offer of compensation made, according to the Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA).

"We know that 2,800 cases were brought to the attention of the State solicitor. Of these, 1,300 showed a willingness to go to the redress board. That leaves a further 1,500 out there," according to spokesman John Kelly.

"The experience of the 13 who have had their cases heard so far is spurring others to withdraw their support for the Board," he said.

"A lot of people are seeing that the High Court is now their only way to get vindication. The vast majority who have gone before the board and have had to stand up to the challenges of the religious orders said it was like being abused all over again.

"The Laffoy Commission was drafted by the defendants. It allows people to get off. A lot of victims are now chancing their luck and going to the High Court. More will follow," Mr Kelly warned.

The Redress Board was supposed to be non-adversarial, Mr Kelly said. "We were told the system would be non-adversarial. But it isn't. Victims have had to come to it with a begging bowl. The religious orders are not only challenging what happened to victims, they are also questioning the validity of a lot of the psychological reports being presented.

"We want the government to scrap Laffoy and put the money into a proper compensation scheme and get rid of the deal done with the religious orders."

Those who have gone to the High Court have received higher awards. But it's not all about compensation, Mr Kelly said, as most people just want a fair hearing and justice.

Latest figures from the Redress Board show that only 13 hearings have yet taken place. Those figures are due to be updated in the coming days and are expected to show a significant increase on this. The maximum pay-out is €300,000.

A spokesperson for the Residential Institutions Redress Board said the board has received 1,600 applications to date and they continue to arrive at a rate of 50 per week. "The rate of applications has been constant," he added.

Victim and supporter of those who have been abused, Christine Buckley, said all at the Aislinn Centre would be devastated if people began to shun the Laffoy Commission and the Redress Board.