Presentation Transcript
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report :Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report Chairperson of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report :Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report The most shocking revelation of Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Report is her summary of the evidence at the Confidential Committee.
This Committee was established to allow abuse victims to tell their story in a confidential setting.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report :Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report Those who went before the committee were not asking for redress.
They did not want their abusers punished or exposed, nor did they want any publicity for themselves.
Therefore, their evidence must be taken as all the more credible.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report :Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report The story they have told is of abuse on a hitherto unimagined scale.
of beatings
of humiliations
of sexual abuse of all kinds
of degradation
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report :Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report When abuse was reported their claims were dismissed. In over a quarter of cases, the complainants were subjected to punishment for making the reports.
A further dimension of this scandal is the culpability of the judiciary in consigning so many children to such institutions on essentially trivial justifications.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report :Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report Over 600 witnesses made complaints of abuse.
Over 500 of these had been admitted to Industrial and Reformatory Schools by direction of a Court.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report :Ms Justice Mary Laffoy's Valedictory Report Of the 55 Industrial and Reformatory Schools in Ireland, complaints were registered about ALL but four of them.
413 male witnesses made complaints.