'We need to talk about child abuse'

Cora Desmond from Youghal, Co Cork, suffered horrific abuse and cruelty at the hands of her stepmother for 11 years.

Children's charities have urged people to be vigilant for children who are at risk of abuse and neglect, following the case of a young Cork woman whose stepmother was jailed this week for physically and mentally abusing her over a period of 11 years. 

Cora Desmond, 21, who suffered horrific abuse and cruelty at the hands of her stepmother for 11 years, has urged others to speak up and seek support.

Bridget Kenneally, of 19 The Green, Duncoran, Youghal, Co Cork, was jailed for two years at Cork Circuit Criminal Court for assaulting and causing harm to Ms Desmond when she was ten-years-old at 7 Kenny’s Lane, Youghal, in 2009.

The court heard how Ms Desmond was beaten regularly with implements that included a poker, spatula, wooden spoon, a set of hinges, and a length of Hoover pipe, while also being force-fed vinegar, chilli, and other spices.

On one occasion, Ms Desmond was taken to Mercy University Hospital with over 50 bruises to her body. She was forced to lie about injuries she sustained and instead present as a “clumsy child”.

On another occasion, she had to explain that she injured her head at Funderland when in reality, she had been beaten by Kenneally.

The “sadistic”, “horrific”, and “inhumane” abuse and torture, Ms Desmond said, had robbed her of her childhood.

Speaking to PJ Coogan on Cork's 96fm Opinion Line, Ms Desmond said for years she was too afraid to speak out because of “constant threats” that she would never see her father and biological sister again and that nobody would believe her.

She also thought the abuse was normal until she spoke with a primary school friend and realised that not all parents beat their children. 

I couldn’t understand it. I was told I deserved it, I was told it was my own fault, and that I got what I was meant to get.

Today, Ms Desmond continues to live with the physical and mental scars and has suffered from anxiety and depression as a result of the abuse.

Despite her ordeal, the courageous young woman urged others to speak out and seek help and support. “Speak out because there will always be someone there to listen and somebody there to help you. It’s the scariest thing you’ll ever do, speaking out, but it’s probably the best thing you’ll ever do for yourself,” she told RTÉ News at One.

The ordeal endured by Cora Desmond over an 11-year period highlights how easy it is for abuse to go undetected.

There are undoubtedly many more children like Cora, who faced with threats from their abusers, are forced to suffer in silence.

In the first quarter of 2020, almost 15,000 child protection and welfare referrals were made to the child and family agency, Tusla.

How many other children suffer in silence is hard to quantify.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) said child protection is "everyone’s responsibility" and anyone with concerns should report them to An Garda Síochána or Tusla.

The charity, which offers a 24-hour listening service for children, received almost 1,500 contacts from children and young people in relation to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and neglect in the third quarter of this year.

“Unfortunately, child abuse does not stop in a pandemic. Childline’s listening services experienced an increase in contacts across all of its service options when schools closed in March as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic,” a spokesperson for ISPCC said.

CEO of children’s charity, Barnardos, Suzanne Connolly, said greater awareness of child abuse and neglect at society level was needed.

“Thousands of children at risk of abuse and neglect are referred to Tusla on a monthly basis, but the circumstances in which many other children are living go unreported. Barnardos works regularly with children who have been impacted by neglect or abuse; children who had often spent too long suffering in silence,” Ms Connolly said.

“To accept that child abuse and neglect is a reality, we need to talk about it. We need to make it an issue that, as a country, we care about. Children need to know that if they reach out, they will be listened to, and action will be taken,” she added.

ISPCC’s 24-hour Childline service can be contacted by calling 1800 66 66 66, texting 50101, or online at childline.ie