4,228 entries for Historical Context

The Committee heard 19 witness reports of sexual abuse by older residents in a number of Schools. In most instances the reports of sexual abuse by co-residents were of aggressive assaults by more than one co-resident resulting in masturbation or anal rape. Witnesses reported being waylaid by older co-residents in the toilets, yards and corridors where there was little supervision. Some witnesses stated that being sexually abused by older co-residents offered them a measure of protection from physical abuse by other residents and that at times the experience of such sexual activity was consensual. Seven (7) witnesses reported that they sexually abused younger residents or engaged in consensual sexual activity with a co-resident. There was things ...(sexual abuse)... going on, between the lads, and I was absorbed into it. The way we behaved with one another, it was all based on fear. The physical violence ... it was the way the whole thing was held together. ... You had the strongest to the weakest boys, the strongest can pick on anybody, the strongest do it to the weakest boys and the darkness is handed out back along.

In a small number of Schools, witnesses reported being sexually abused by older residents who had a disciplinary role and were known as monitors. There were six reports from four different Schools of sexual abuse by co-residents being observed by religious staff and another 19 reports from witnesses who believed that such behaviour was either condoned or actively encouraged by the religious staff. Some of the senior boys were rapists themselves. My way of looking at it now was they were institutionalised themselves because the School was mixed, you had juvenile offenders, you had kids from broken homes, you had orphan kids, they never saw a woman around the place. All you seen was guys. I was ...(sexually)... abused by a lot of these older boys. Within the first 3 months I was there, the older boy who was on my table, he was in charge ... he seemed to get on very well with the Brothers. He was always well treated by the Brothers. He abused me in a garden shed with another boy and a Brother. ... They subjected me to being raped, and I was threatened that I would be thrown in the slurry pit. The Brother, Br ...X... raped me in front of the boy.... That was the only time where there was a boy and a Brother together.

There were 11 reports of sexual abuse perpetrated by nine male individuals who were described as visitors and volunteer workers visiting the Schools. These reports referred to five Schools. In most instances the individuals were identified by name and were described as having some link with the School through individual members of the religious staff. The sexual abuse reported in relation to these male visitors and volunteer helpers included fondling, masturbation, kissing, and anal rape.

The Committee heard reports of sexual abuse by visitors and volunteer workers from seven witnesses in relation to one specific School. These men were members of the general public, each of whom was believed to be known to religious staff. The witnesses described being collected by car and taken to men’s homes, the cinema or on trips to the seaside or country. Four (4)) witnesses reported being taken with co-residents on a regular basis, one by a group of men overnight and the other three witnesses by a man in a van who bought them sweets and ice-cream and sexually abused them by fondling or masturbation, either in the van or in his home. Four of the 11 witnesses reported being taken alone for overnight excursions where they shared rooms and beds with identified abusers in their homes, guesthouses or other accommodation. Witnesses described these outings as apparently spontaneous. The man who took you out on your own, I don’t know how it happened, I don’t know how you were chosen, the Brother came out in the yard and would say “who wants to go?” If I had been street wise I could have avoided this, I didn’t know “bent” or “gay”. The School band had been up and down the country for engagements, one Sunday we were in ...named town... this guy arrives up ... I was called to the office, the next I know is, “Mr ...X... is going to take you out for the day”. The next thing I knew was this guy was getting me into the car ... and I knew this was different because we were driving out to the country, I knew by the signs. I knew ... we would not get back for 9 o’clock.... We drove to a country town, it was a quiet town. ... There was no stopping for tea or chips or anything like that. The next thing we were in his house, and it was straight into the bedroom. I see this framed photograph of myself on the mantelpiece. He shows me the bedroom and says “this is where we are going to sleep”. ... But I had no pyjamas, no overnight things or anything, and he says “we are going to bed” and I thinks to myself, “where is my bed?” and the next thing he takes off his clothes and is naked. I had never seen a man completely naked before. I think to myself “well, I’ll keep my jocks on, I’ll keep my socks on”. ... My mind is completely racing, I don’t know what to think, I think “what will I keep on?” ... I have a memory of him trying to muster some words “it’s a bit of fun” or something ... “I’m not going to hurt you”. He was physically trying to touch me, the rest is a blank, I don’t remember anymore.

One witness reported that having told the priest in Confession that he had been sexually abused by a male visitor, he believed the priest informed a Brother who subsequently beat him for ‘...taking the good name of a decent man who is sacrificing his home for the sake of a guttersnipe like you’.

A small number of witnesses from two Schools reported having extended contact with visitors and volunteer workers who they remarked were friendly with the female religious Resident Managers and appeared to have free access to the Schools. These visitors helped residents in various ways, including with their homework and took them on outings and for holidays. A witness reported that he was sexually abused over a three-year period by one such visitor. Another witness gave the following account of being sexually abused and raped by a male visitor: She ...(Sr X)... introduced a personal friend of hers called ...named male visitor.... He was not employed by the Sisters or the Health Board. He started to come once a week, maybe twice a week, and then it was building up. He was there a lot of the days in the evenings after work ... and most of the weekend. Now ...named male visitor... was the person who sexually abused me while I was in ...named School.... He was very close to Sr ...X.... He took an interest in me. I thought it was brilliant because for the first time someone was taking an interest in me. ... He came in to say good night to us. He went around to everybody and said goodnight ... and then he came and sat on my bed and told me he loved me and I was a great boy and he started tiddling ...(tickling)... me. This was all very gradually. He started putting his hands in my pyjamas, very touchy, now I didn’t mind and it was our secret and that sort of thing. Then he got permission to bring me to his house ... and he would abuse me there and he brought me away for a weekend sometimes and he abused me. Work, weekend and holiday placement providers and others

Five (5) witnesses gave evidence to the Committee that they were sexually abused in external placements while still a resident of the Schools. The witnesses were abused while placed with families either for holidays, weekends or to work. Two (2) witnesses reported being sexually abused by male members of the general public while they were on leave from the School. One of those witness stated that he was sexually harassed and raped over a period of months by three local men who he stated knew he was from an Industrial School and took advantage of his circumstances to intimidate and abuse him. The witness reported being afraid of the repercussions of telling anyone what was happening to him. The second witness was raped by two men he encountered in the vicinity of the School as he was returning from a visit. Another witness reported that he was sexually abused by the male relative of a family he went to for holidays. One witness reported being sexually abused during admission to a local hospital from the School and another witness reported being molested by the man he was sent to on licence for work.12

Failure to care for the child which results, or could reasonably be expected to result, in serious impairment of the physical or mental health or development of the child or serious adverse effects on his or her behaviour or welfare.13 This section summarises witness accounts of general neglect. Descriptions of neglect refer to all aspects of the physical, social and emotional care and welfare of the witnesses, impacting on their health and development. Neglect refers to both actions and inactions by religious and lay staff and others who had responsibility and a duty of care for the residents in their charge. It also describes other forms of neglect that are regarded as having a negative impact on the individuals’ emotional health and development, for example a failure to protect from harm and failure to educate. As the reports of neglect refer to systemic practices, this section of the Report does not identify individual abusers.

Three hundred and sixty seven (367) male witnesses (89%) made 408 reports concerning the neglect of their care and welfare in 22 Schools.14 The frequency of neglect reports by witnesses in relation to individual Schools varied, as with the other types of abuse. Five (5) Schools were collectively the subject of 260 reports.15 Six (6) Schools were the subject of 10-26 reports respectively, totalling 106 reports. Eleven (11) Schools were the subject of 1-9 reports, totalling 42.

Five (5) Schools were the subject of 64% of all neglect reports to the Committee.

As with the other types of abuse neglect was reported in combination with all four types of abuse in 166 instances.

Abuse types	Number of reports	%
Neglect, emotional, physical and sexual	166	41
Neglect, emotional and physical	120	29
Neglect and physical	66	16
Neglect, physical and sexual	49	12
Neglect and emotional	3	1
Neglect, emotional and sexual	2	(0)
Neglect and sexual	1	(0)
Neglect	1	(0)
Total	408	(100)*

As shown, 401 reports of neglect were combined with physical abuse.

As with the other types of abuse the extent of neglect reports varied according to the relevant discharge period. Table 26 shows the distribution of witness accounts of neglect across the decades covered by this Report:16

Decade of discharge	Number of neglect reports	%
Pre-1960s	178	44
1960-69	172	42
1970-79	47	12
1980-89	10	2
Total	407	100

This Report categorises neglect of care under the headings of food, clothing, heat, hygiene, bedding, healthcare, education, supervision and preparation for discharge that were referred to by witnesses with varying levels of detail. There was inevitable overlap between the different categories of neglect and other types of abuse, as outlined in other sections of the Report. Witnesses described the impact that the neglect they endured had on their social and emotional welfare, including effects on later life.

There were 379 witness reports of food provided to residents being inadequate in both quality and sufficiency. The reports referred to 21 Schools. Three hundred and forty nine (349) reports of poor and inadequate food were made by witnesses who were discharged before 1970. Some witnesses reported having so little to eat that at times they were starving. The Committee heard many reports from witnesses of attempts to satisfy their hunger by ‘raiding’ the garden, orchard and kitchens for extra food, eating grasses, dandelion, hawthorn, sorrel leaves and wild berries found while out on walks and while working in the fields. Witnesses also reported taking food from slop buckets, potatoes and other feed prepared for pigs, skimmed milk for calves and dried animal feed in the farmyards. Bread dipped in dripping and shell cocoa described by one witness as ‘unsweetened sludge’ was a standard part of the diet recounted by witnesses discharged in the years before the 1960s. In the morning you got 2 cuts of bread and dripping, the dripping was put on the night before. The food was terrible there, you were hungry, it was rationed even though the place was self-sufficient. They had their own tomatoes and orchard too, but we never got them. • Hunger was extreme, we stole cattle nuts and mangels and the hosts from the altar because we were so hungry. • You were hungry all the time, all the bloody time. We got bread and dripping, it would be rock hard by the time you got it. ... I was always hungry, there was never enough. ... I worked in the kitchen and you stole for your friends, if you were caught, you were terrified.