Calls for 'urgent' inquiry into historic school abuse to begin as soon as possible
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A formal inquiry into abuse in schools and institutions needs to take place as quickly as possible, or it may be too late for victims and survivors, the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection has said.
It comes as Tuesday saw the publication of the Government's long-awaited report into sexual abuse at religious-run boarding and day schools. The report itself was prompted by revelations of systemic abuse by the Spiritan order at Blackrock College in Dublin.
The report found there were 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse against 884 teachers, priests and others in respect of 308 schools recorded by the religious orders which ran the schools.
Caoilfhionn Gallagher said she supported the calls for a formal inquiry and for it to be "not only on religious run schools, but to have a broader scope".
"We shouldn't be in a position, again, of victims from non-religious run schools having to fight to secure that kind of inquiry, we should ensure the scope now is broader and encompasses victims and survivors outside those uncovered in the preliminary scoping inquiry,” she said on Wednesday.
Ms Gallagher pointed out recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in January 2023 highlighted Ireland’s obligations under international law and the need to ensure past victims of sexual abuse secured justice and effective remedies.
“They highlighted, in particular, the importance of addressing the situation of persons whose complaints have not yet received adequate attention. So I think time is ripe for scope to be broader and to ensure this happens as quickly as possible," she told RTÉ Radio’s .
Ms Gallagher said there had been "decades of institutional defensiveness and reputation management, particularly by Catholic Church-run institutions, which means these problems have been hidden, not dealt with adequately".
She said the fact more than half of the 884 people accused of historical abuse were now deceased, and the fact so many victims and survivors were in their later years, meant there was now "a real urgency to getting on with this and having no further delay".
“Redress can take many forms. It can include financial compensation, but also a range of other ways of addressing the injustice that people have endured over the years," she said.
Ms Gallagher also said though she had not yet talked with the Government about the details of the redress scheme, she agreed with the scoping report that a redress scheme should be set up as soon as possible and that religious authorities should contribute to it.
“I agree with that. And I also do agree with the idea of this being done sooner rather than later, otherwise, we may be in a position where by the time the inquiry process is completed, it's simply going to be too late for some of those who've endured such horrendous experiences over many decades," she added.
While many details still had to be worked out, she said there were good examples from other jurisdictions of independent inquiries that had worked.
There had been “foot-dragging” for decades so this was now a matter of urgency, she said.