2,143 entries for Witness Testimony

Four (4) witnesses described being burned by various means including being struck with hot pokers, pushed into fires, and having hot liquid thrown over them. Two (2) witnesses described having their heads held under water until they thought they might drown, as punishment for bed-wetting. Two (2) foster mothers were reported to regularly wash out the witnesses’ mouths with soap for allegedly telling lies or as a general punishment. Mother ...(foster mother )... got the poker, she stuck it in the fire and took it out, it was so hot, you could see through it and said to my ...foster father... “hold her”, my...(foster)... father said “this is going too far, no way”.... She said “hold her” and he held me back in the chair, she said to put my hand out, and she placed the poker in it ...distressed... and all I remember is passing out.... The pain, I’ll never forget it....

Eight (8) witnesses gave disturbing accounts of severe physical abuse that resulted in them being physically injured or harmed in some way. The isolation of many foster homes, as described by witnesses, increased their sense of helplessness regarding physical abuse. One witness stated that he was regularly beaten until he was so badly injured on one occasion that an ambulance was called and he was removed from the foster placement permanently: I was beaten to the point of a child’s submission to death, I gave up and I hoped I would die.... Obviously someone had been watching, because that particular evening when I was so weak from the beating, I think I may have passed out. ... Blood...(was)... pouring out of me. ... I was taken away by ambulance.... A nurse assisted me, she was very kind.

A witness reported severe physical and sexual abuse throughout her time in a foster home where she was placed as an infant and where she also witnessed other foster children, including babies, being abused. Another witness who had been in foster care since infancy and gave evidence of repeated abuse had a deformed arm and a scar that she believes were the result of early injuries of which she had no memory. The injuries described in the following quotes occurred in the same foster home as mentioned above. This little girl ...(another foster child)... that came ... we seemed to spend our time sitting around the fire, she was there, I remember she seemed quite small, and they ...(foster parents)... were saying “let’s see how much pain she can stand” and they got the hot poker and burned her wrist ...distressed.... I don’t know how they could be so cruel ... or why ...distressed.... I have a burn on my wrist and I can only suspect that the same happened to me. • She ... (another foster child)... I don’t know if she supposedly told a lie, was standing there ... and they were literally trying to pull her tongue out with a gadget ... a pincers or something.... I remember feeling so terrible, helpless for her, ’cos I’d probably be lined up next if I expressed what I felt for her.

Twelve (12) witnesses reported being sexually abused as young children by male foster family members. Each of these witnesses reported being abused on a regular basis in their own beds, elsewhere within the foster home, when taken for walks or while engaged in farm work. They described being raped, violently assaulted, and exposed to pornography and images of bestiality. If he ...(foster parents’ biological son)... was in bed of a Sunday, she’d ...(foster mother)... send me down to call him. He’d... (digital penetration described)... and I remember I was bleeding, and I was afraid and I didn’t know what to do. ... He used to say to me “if you say anything you will be taken back to a Home” ...distressed.... • I woke up with him... (foster father)... in the bed with me and he had penetrated me with his fingers and I was very sore, I tried to scream but nothing would come out.... He warned me not to say anything, that he’d kill me if I did. • Her son...(foster mother’s biological son)...he did pornography, I now know what it is, I didn’t then... and all the locals used to come for the stuff...it was animals and humans he did....

Six (6) witnesses reported their belief that their sexual abuse by male family members was tolerated, if not encouraged, by the foster mother. Three (3) witnesses believed that their foster parents condoned and facilitated sexual abuse by their sons, one of whom was an adult. Four (4) of the witnesses reported being sexually abused when their foster mothers were absent from the home either working or visiting relatives. Everything was for ...named foster brother.... There was luxuries bought for ...X... because he was out working and I wasn’t. ...Foster mother... would go out and leave me there on me own with him. ... He’d start doing things like tucking me dress into me knickers, he was 16 then. ... His face was so red. ... He’d have biscuits hidden in the room and he’d give me the biscuits and I’d just stand there and I’d be eating the biscuits and he’d be doing all this to me. Although he was doing this ... a strange feeling comes over you because you know it’s wrong, you know what he’s doing is wrong but you can do nothing about it because you’re not in control, he’s in control. Your mind just moves away from it, you’re kind of a zombie in other words. Then when we’re in the house on our own he starts making me undress ... and he’s there all the time and I wake-up in the morning he’s on top of me. ... He’d have a fist up to my face ... threatening me ...(to stay quiet).... • The auld fella ...(foster father)... never stopped pulling himself ...(masturbating).... He’d come in drunk and start chasing you around the house wanting to kiss you. ... It was revolting. ... She ...(foster mother)... would think it was just a bit of fun, but it wasn’t, it was dirt. ... It suited her ...(that his attention was diverted)....

Five (5) witnesses reported being sexually abused by more than one individual in their foster care placements. One witness reported being sexually abused by both a foster mother and her son. Eight (8) witnesses reported sexual abuse perpetrated by six foster fathers and by four biological sons of foster care providers. I used to think that sexual abuse meant rape. I didn’t understand, I thought I was bad and that it only happened to me. He ... (foster parents’ son)... used to maul...(my)... private parts. ... If she ... (foster mother)... was going off he’d say to leave me...(at home)... he wanted me to do things, she’d say to stay at home, there was work to be done. He’d abuse me every opportunity he got.

Fifteen (15) witnesses reported having to work for their foster parents, in 10 instances on the family farm caring for animals, cleaning farm buildings, working in the fields, cutting and drawing timber, turf and hay, and carrying water. This work was reported to have taken precedence over other activities, particularly school attendance. Ten (10) witnesses reported being responsible for a large share of the housework in the foster homes including cooking, sewing, cleaning and carrying water. Five (5) witnesses reported being sent to work for neighbouring farmers and the relatives of their foster parents as ‘hired help’, but received no payment. Physically having to work so hard, we weren’t big.... It seemed like it was always freezing cold, snow and frost.... In winter ... sawing down trees, in the midst of him ...(foster father)... hurling abuse.... The memory of dragging what seemed like trees across fields to the back garden and then sawing them down to logs.... • We cut wood everyday when we came home from school and in the summer holidays we went felling.... They felled the trees and I was always considered a man in relation to the cross cut... (saw)... You would always be up to your knees in water and you had to saw... and trim the tree and it had to be cut up and brought back... and got ready... for the people who wanted it....Every Saturday you took the wood to town...the school holidays were taken up with this...

Eleven (11) witnesses reported on the lack of education they were afforded through being kept out of school to work at household or farm chores. A number of the witnesses commented on the fact that education was generally regarded as a low priority by their foster parents. School ... was a very difficult time ... the worst thing was not being allowed to do homework.... I would be trying to do it on the side of the road.... I wanted to be educated.... I managed to scrape through the Primary Cert and I took home this certificate, and was so proud of it. I remember her ...(foster mother)... holding it up and ceremoniously tearing it, ripping it up ... and threw it straight in the fire.

Eight (8) witnesses described receiving insufficient food and, in particular, being isolated at mealtimes when they were either not permitted to eat with the other family members or were given inferior food. One witness described being made to sit in the corner of the kitchen, where he recalled being thrown food scraps from the table: On all occasions when dinner was taking place ... I was put into the corner ... of the kitchen.... I had my dinner fed to me by ... one of the men ... in the house ... (who) would throw it ...(a piece of meat)... into me in the corner and I would eat that. • I remember coming in from school and the skillet was on the floor on the piece of sacking...cows udders, pigs tails, cabbage...you weren’t allowed to the table...everything was Middle Ages, I don’t know why we deserved that.

Fifteen (15) witnesses recalled officials visiting their foster homes. These visitors were described as social workers, public health nurses, and others, some of whom were known by name but not by their professional role. The Committee heard from witnesses that after the mid-1980s official visits were more regular. Seven (7) witnesses reported that social workers called to the foster homes on a regular basis. Several of the visiting social workers, public health nurses, and other officials were described as not speaking directly to the witnesses or other foster children but instead spent their time talking with the foster mothers. There were three reports of visiting inspectors being shown bedrooms used by family members where they were incorrectly told the witness and other foster children slept. One witness who reported being sexually abused on a regular basis within her foster home recalled the inspector’s visits, and another commented on the preparation made for planned visits: Miss ...X..., a nice young lady, she used to come to the house, used to drop in and just look at me, and on the face of it I would be seen to be well fed and kept very clean and well dressed. So, on the face of it, I would be seen to be well looked after but ... in hindsight ... I should have been taken away and spoken to on my own. • Visitors...do-gooders would come, the ladies with the cars and the furs would come. She...foster mother ...got all the clothes from the pawn...(shop)... and all the stuff would be home out of the pawn and would be laid out and then they went back again when they left...In those days of course you didn’t have a voice, nobody thought you had a brain even.

Failure on behalf of the supervising authorities to provide for the practical and psychological needs of young people in foster care was highlighted as an area of neglect by many witnesses. This concern was specifically raised in relation to the absence of any preparation for discharge from foster care or preparation for a more independent adult life. Witnesses reported having to resort to their own courage and ingenuity when they reached the age of 16 years. They then became aware that they could or would have to leave the foster home as the authorities no longer had responsibility for their placement and foster payments had ceased. She took everything I had, clothes, photographs, everything, so I went and got a job and told nobody, I got the job with an agency and I went and I never came back to Ireland until I knew she was dead. I used to ring...local person...and ask if she was still alive. I know it was very callous of me but the hold and damage she did to my life...

Seven (7) female witnesses reported that they became pregnant and/or married before they were 20 years old to ‘escape’ foster homes from which there appeared to be no other route to independence. In my opinion I was thrown to the wolves ... the injustice ... because I feel nobody cared. I got married at 17 for security, he was ...several years... older than me. I tried to get out of a bad situation but I got into a worse one.

Four (4) witnesses reported being placed with foster families where they were exposed to trauma and emotional instability in the context of domestic violence, marital conflict or mental illness. There were rows all the time, when something would go wrong we ... (foster children)... were called names. If something was lost ... (foster mother would say)... “that bastard’s lost it”. ... (foster carers were)... always throwing things around.

Eight (8) witnesses reported that their foster parents were consistently harsh and unkind to them. They reported being treated as unpaid labourers rather than as children and frequently reminded that they were ‘orphans’. She ... (foster mother)... was always telling me “I’m not your mother, I got you from the Home and I can give you back just as quick”. ... This woman didn’t want me and she couldn’t get rid of me. • We had to put up with her ... (foster mother)... and her uncontrollable temper. She will probably never know the hurt she has caused or the influence she has had. I don’t think she ever saw me as a child, just an annoyance and every little thing I did just annoyed her. She hated me, she told me often enough.

It was reported that the neighbours of one foster family were particularly kind and it was believed that they attempted to protect the foster children in various ways. A witness reported that she and other foster children were sent out at night to steal from these neighbours’ fields, causing much fear and anguish: We’d be sent to steal firewood from the neighbours...you’d be frightened and they’d ... (foster parents)... kind of absolve themselves of all responsibility because they’d say ... “you’re orphans, we won’t have any responsibility, that ... (stealing)... is expected of you kind of people”.... You knew you were doing something wrong, at school we knew the 7th commandment, “thou shalt not steal”.... I was totally confused by all this and the fact that they’d ... (foster parents)... report it was us who stole.... It wasn’t a nice feeling.