Irish Examiner view: We still don't know the full extent of child sexual abuse

One in Four's report suggests we are not close to uncovering the extent of damage done to generations of Irish children

One in Four reports a ‘record-breaking’ increase in the numbers of adults seeking its support for historic child sexual abuse. Stock picture

The public was blindsided in the 1990s by the revelations surrounding Fr Brendan Smyth and other clerics, whose horrendous sexual abuse of children had been knowingly hidden by their superiors in the Catholic Church.

In some respects, the nation’s psyche was forever tainted by the scandal. But the revelations have kept coming and, unless we are very careful, they will continue to do so.