Abuse survivors refuse to back monument

SURVIVORS of institutional abuse have told the Government they will not support a national monument dedicated to their childhood suffering — as the Government is refusing to listen to them.

Wide divisions have developed between the Department of Education and institutional abuse survivors in recent months, with survivors accusing the Government of “failing them as children and failing them as adults”.

Meanwhile, huge rifts have also developed between survivors themselves.

Founder of the God Squad website and institution survivor, Paddy Doyle said “the huge divisions amongst the survivor representative groups is crackpot stuff and won’t serve to achieve anything for ordinary survivors”.

Last April, the Government announced it was establishing a €110 million statutory fund for former residents of institutions, which 18 religious orders would contribute to over the coming years.

The extra money was sought by Taoiseach Brian Cowen in the aftermath of the damning Ryan Report, which highlighted the systematic physical, sexual and emotional abuse of young children.

The statutory fund will provide for the educational, health and housing needs of survivors. However, the survivors would rather that they were given money to spend as they wish.

John Kelly of Survivors of Church Abuse said most survivors are “too old for education to make any difference to their lives”.

“We are too old for education and we have medical cards. We should be able to use that money as we see fit — to look after our families in the way we want.

“We have told them we don’t want the monument until they begin to listen to us. I told the Taoiseach, ‘You robbed our childhood and now you are robbing us again and you aren’t listening to us’,” he said.

Survivors have voiced repeated concern about the 18-month waiting list for face-to-face counselling at the National Counselling Service.

A public consultation process is under way at present in advance of the establishment of the statutory fund. However, survivors have said they found out about it “by accident”.

A growing number of survivors are also complaining that survivor representative groups, funded by the Government, are failing to provide information as they should.

One survivor, Rose Gosnell from Cobh said Right of Place has done nothing to help her yet gets millions in government funding. “The place is overrun with cronyism. We are being trod on all over again,” she said.

Last night a Department of Education spokesman said the Government considered a “range of demands for the Redress Scheme to be extended and awards reviewed, however it felt it was not possible for it to second guess the independent board and associated appeals process to the Review Committee.”