‘But what about the people who detained us?’

VICTIMS of institutional child abuse yesterday led the chorus of condemnation and anger over the findings of the report by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, on what was described as a “shameful day for Ireland”.

Founder member of the Survivors of Child Abuse (SOCA) group, John Kelly, described the report as “a hatchet job” that did not succeed in bringing all those responsible for the abuse to justice, or in offering closure to victims.

Child support groups and human rights organisations said the publication of the damning report bolstered calls for increased child protection measures to avoid a repeat of the abuse which marred thousands of lives.