Report horrific and shocking, says minister

Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald said the seven child protection reports were “horrific” and “shocking”, with child protection being ignored in some instances up until last year.

“In the case of the at least one [religious] order, we see that it continued up until as recently as last year to fail to report past admissions of abuse to gardaí,” she said.

“In another order, one accused priest still had limited ministry up until last year while another had a public profile, participating in an internet forum.

“In effect, we see child protection best practice being simply ignored, right up until 2011. To think that such a culture and mindset continued to exist among sectors of our society until as recently as 12 months ago is bitterly disappointing, it is deeply worrying, and it is quite simply unacceptable.”

When questioned about the need for a full statutory inquiry into allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, she said the prim-ary aim was to ensure the safety of children.

She said the work of Ian Elliott, the chief executive of the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church, be allowed to continue and that if there is a need for a statutory inquiry following the completion of that work, it could be considered.

Maeve Lewis, executive director of One in Four, said that while there were positives in the reports, “it is beyond belief that children are still at risk of sexual abuse in certain areas of the Catholic Church and that the lessons of the statutory reports have not been learned. This undermines the very positive efforts that have been made in other dioceses and congregations to keep children safe.”

CARI acting national clinical director Majella Ryan said it was heartening to learn that some dioceses were managing allegations appropriately, but the reality still lagged some way behind best practice.

The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) said it was prepared for a surge in calls following the publication of the seven reports.

Its chief executive Ellen O’Malley-Dunlop said arrangements had been made to increase its helpline staff and volunteers by around 30% to deal with a sudden rise in calls.

She said the centre had always experienced a spike in calls in the wake of the publication of reports of child clerical abuse.

At the launch of the DRCC’s 2011 report yesterday, she said there had been a 20% rise in people seeking therapy for childhood sexual abuse since 2003.

She said the release of the Ferns, Ryan, Murphy, and Cloyne reports into clerical abuse had contributed to the increase. Also contributing was the shift in public discourse with such crimes now acknowledged and discussed openly, without shame or blame.

* The DRCC national 24-hour helpline number is 1800 778888.

Help lines

* One in Four: Appointment-only service at 01 6624070, Monday to Friday, 9.30am-5.30pm, or email [e-mail]

* Towards Healing: Free access to a helpline staffed by experienced counsellors, Mondays and Wednesdays, 11am-8pm, and Fridays, 11am-4pm. Freephone: 1800 303416.

* CARI: Specialised service at 1890 924567.