Ireland tolerated abuse of children, says legal expert

Some victims of historic child sex abuse were “forgotten by the law”, according to an analysis of more than 50 high court and supreme court decisions relating to a range of cases.

The claims are contained in new research conducted by Sinéad Ring of Kent Law School, who investigated criminal cases In Ireland between 1999 and 2006.

Referring to the “unprecedented numbers of adults” who from the early 1990s onwards reported to the gardaí they had been sexually abused as children, Dr Ring said Irish society appeared to “tolerate” the abuse of children. She said parents, teachers, gardaí, and others were involved in creating and sustaining a culture of silence around child sexual abuse.