Chapter 18 — Residential Laundries, Novitiates, Hostels and other settings

Current circumstances

Two (2) witnesses gave accounts of being placed in work situations by religious staff and seven others were transferred to Industrial or Reformatory Schools or residential laundries. Others described periods of homelessness and early involvement in criminal activity on leaving the institution.

Eighteen (18) witnesses reported having difficulties establishing stable adult relationships. They described particular difficulties in relation to trust, intimacy and safe partnerships that were free of violence. I used to be roaring and bawling after I married...it was the first bit of love I was ever shown in my life. I do try to be with people and get in contact with them, but something gets in the way, I can’t do it...

Many witnesses gave accounts of ambivalent, unstable and disrupted relationships characterised by conflict, abuse and unhappiness. Six (6) witnesses gave accounts of marital violence, three of whom reported having histories of criminal convictions. Eleven (11) witnesses reported that they were divorced or had separated from their original partner or spouse and a number of those witnesses were in new relationships at the time of their hearing. Five (5) witnesses reported a happy or stable marriage lasting many years, or a happy second partnership.

Nineteen (19) witnesses reported having children of their own. A number of witnesses commented that relationships with their children who were born later in the witnesses’ lives were less conflicted as they had achieved a greater degree of stability in their lives over the years. Many witnesses who reported having their own children described variable parenting relationships over different stages of their children’s development. I did the best with what I had, which wasn’t a whole lot ...I feel guilty and I will do till the day I die...It was partly my fault for the kids turning out that way, but I had no role model as a mother I knew no better.... She...(daughter)... blames me for everything that went wrong in her life, she says I was never there for her....The poor kids missed out on so much, I did not know how to hug or kiss or cuddle them...

Seven (7) witnesses described having difficulties, including being unable to show affection, being harsh, and at times abusive when their children were young. These difficulties were said to have contributed to the subsequent loss of contact with children. Four (4) witnesses reported that they were not involved in rearing their own children. Two (2) of these witnesses had children placed for adoption and two others had children who were reared in out-of-home care.

Five (5) witnesses reported enjoying stable and happy relationships with their children.

Four (4) witnesses reported that their children had difficulties related to alcohol or drug addiction, and two others stated that their children were ‘in and out’ of prison. They had it terrible with me. One of them is a pure junkie and the other has a problem with the drink, I think he has HIV. His children are in care. I never told them any of me problems. She ...(his spouse)... used to hide the kids when I’d come in with the drink, I’d be roaring and shouting.

At the time of their hearing most witnesses were or had been employed for a substantial period of their lives. Table 115 illustrates the employment status of witnesses at the time of their hearing:

Employment status	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Employed	3	3	6
Retired	0	3	3
Disability income	2	2	4
Unemployed	4	1	5
Self-employed	2	1	3
Working at home	1	3	4
Total	12	13	25

Four (4) of the witnesses who were unemployed described a history of alcohol/drug abuse and/or reported that they had served a period in prison. Others reported that they had periods of employment but were unable to settle, had difficulties with authority in the workplace or with peers, and as a result they changed jobs frequently. A number of witnesses reported that they had been successful in their own businesses where they valued their autonomy and had control over their work situation. Others sought work where they were isolated and did not have to mix with colleagues: ‘It was after all the staff left, I had a cleaning job everyone was gone and I was on my own, it suited me that way, I didn’t mix.’

The following table illustrates witnesses’ occupational status6 at the time of their hearing:

Occupational status	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Professional	0	1	1
Non-manual	3	2	5
Semi-skilled	1	1	2
Unskilled	5	9	14
Managerial	2	0	2
Skilled manual	1	0	1
Total	12	13	25

More than half the witnesses were categorised as unskilled, a number of them reported that they had received an inadequate education and that their employment opportunities were limited. Nine (9) witnesses reported that they were still working at the time of their hearing.

The majority of witnesses reported having stable housing arrangements, including more than half who owned their own homes. The following table outlines witnesses’ accommodation type reported by them at the time of their hearing:

Accommodation	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Owner Occupiers	5	9	14
Local authority/council housing	1	2	3
Private rented accommodation	1	0	1
Institution	1	0	1
With friends	1	0	1
Unavailable	3	2	5
Total	12	13	25

Four (4) witnesses reported that they had periods of homelessness or had spent periods of time in transient accommodation.

Witnesses provided information about their general health and well-being either directly or in the context of describing other aspects of their lives in the course of their hearing. For the purpose of writing this Report the Committee categorised the witnesses’ physical and mental health status as good, reasonable or poor based on their past and current health history provided by them at their hearing.

The following table describes the current status of witnesses’ physical health:

Physical health status	Males	Females	Total witnesses
Good	6	5	11
Reasonable	4	4	8
Poor	1	4	5
No record	1	0	1
Total	12	13	25