Child abuse march - Politicians show poor leadership

Thousands of people marched yesterday from the Garden of Remembrance, down O’Connell Street, past the GPO, to Dáil Éireann in solidarity with the survivors of sexual abuse in Catholic residential institutions down through the decades.

The city centre came to a dignified and reverential standstill as the marchers passed. This was clearly in support and sympathy. By the time the march reached Leinster House as many as 7,000 people were involved. All decent people have been revolted by the disclosures of the Ryan Report.

If that abuse had happened under British rule, we would never have been allowed to forget what happened. It is therefore important that we should remember these things happened under Irish rule, and that the abusers were mainly members of Catholic congregations. This should be remembered, not in order to punish or victimise those congregations, but to remind people that the horrendous abuse did take place.

There has been a tendency to suggest that those events took place in a different era, and that the Ireland of those days has greatly changed. But only yesterday in an RTÉ interview, Christine Buckley — one of the brave women who did so much to publicise the vile abuse — reminded people that the Redress Board engaged in another form of institutional abuse.

The conscience of the nation was not just pricked, it was stabbed by the recent heartrending story that Michael O’Brien, the former mayor of Clonmel, told on Questions & Answers about how he was so traumatised during his appearance before the Redress Board that he was driven to the brink of suicide. Such things must never be allowed to happen again.

Yet the Irish Examiner today reveals contemporary documents that contain stark warnings of children currently at risk due to serious breeches relating to their rights in care.

Local health area managers have warned the Health Service Executive (HSE) about serious deficiencies in child protection and family support services. The 2007 report of the Review of Adequacy of Childcare contains chilling warnings of children being put continually at risk by low staffing levels and serious gaps in services.

The 2007 report outlines a lack of family support services in almost every HSE area. The Child Care Act of 1991 stipulated that the support services should be provided for children at risk of abuse or neglect, but these resources are not being provided, with the result that the welfare of children is being compromised.

Serious cases of child abuse were exposed earlier this year in Roscommon, but the report indicates that family support services are “thin on the ground”. It is the same in other places.

Documents relating to Cork suggest that caseload numbers have become so “high as to make them unmanageable”. There is lack of adequate respite care as well as insufficient psychiatric in-patient care for adolescents. There are also unacceptable waiting times for child psychology and guidance, and even educational assessments.

The HSE in Galway reports that a number of residential care staff members were seriously assaulted in 2007. Young people, who were inappropriately placed while awaiting placement in special care, were responsible for those attacks. As a result morale among the staff is seriously impaired.

These deficiencies should be highlighted. The scheduled debate on the Ryan Report in the Dáil should have provided a great opportunity to highlight the past abuse and stress the need for urgent reform to ensure that such abuse cannot occur now. But Fine Gael spoiled the opportunity for a proper debate by tabling a pointless motion of no confidence.

The gesture was as insensitive as it was politically inept. It never had any chance of success.

Politically, the Green Party had just suffered a humiliating setback, while Fianna Fáil had been dealt the worst defeat ever. They should have been compelled to do some serious soul searching, but instead Fine Gael came to the rescue by insisting on a debate.

The Government could have insisted on proceeding with the debate on the Ryan Report, but Fine Gael foolishly pushed the no confidence motion. The second day of the debate on the Ryan Report will be on tomorrow when many deputies may have gone home.

Both sides showed an appalling leadership, and the Government compounded this by failing to meet the march.

Yesterday’s march demonstrated that the people have got the message regarding child abuse, but the politicians are playing politics as usual.

Shame on them!