Abuse victims denied advance copies of report

VICTIMS of child abuse at industrial schools and other Catholic schools have expressed disgust at the Child Abuse Commission’s failure to provide them with advance copies of an explosive report before its publication on Wednesday.

Up to 1,600 former pupils have given statements to the Ryan Commission, which was established after a national outcry at the contents of Mary Raftery’s States of Fear documentaries 10 years ago.

Christine Buckley, a former pupil at St Vincent’s Industrial School in Goldenbridge, who set up the Aislinn Centre to help survivors, said victims are being treated like “third-class citizens”.

“It is accepted practice for victims to be given advance copies of such reports so our solicitors can look at the contents and we can be prepared to provide a considered response. It happened with the Stardust Inquiry, the Lindsay Inquiry into the blood scandal and others. The Ryan Commission has flatly refused this. We have said that we are happy to go into their building and read the report and not take it outside. We have offered various alternatives but none have been accepted.”

Meanwhile, Ms Buckley said: “As a minimum, we should get the report under embargo at 10am prior to the planned 2.30pm publication. We are happy to accept the embargo and will adhere to it.

“This behaviour, however, by the Ryan Commission is very disappointing and is an attempt to disadvantage others and us. It is unreasonable of the Ryan Commission to expect us to be immediately able to absorb a report that will run into five volumes and thousands of pages.”

The Child Abuse Commission published a disturbing interim report in 2003 highlighting how children were beaten “black and blue”, frequently while naked, how others were starved and routinely sexually abused. The Commission was headed by Justice Mary Laffoy who resigned in 2003 over a lack of co-operation by the Department of Education. She was replaced with Justice Sean Ryan.