A state inquiry uncovered a “truly shocking” level of sexual abuse at religious schools in Ireland, primarily those run by the Catholic Church, over nearly a century with 2,395 allegations, the government said on Tuesday.
The preliminary “scoping inquiry” found 884 alleged sexual abusers at more than 300 schools across the country between 1927 and 2013. Most of the cases occurred from the 1960s to the 1990s, the government said.
It is likely that the actual number of allegations exceeds the stated figure due to underreporting of childhood sexual abuse.
The report found that a high number of allegations are concentrated in special education schools, where there were 590 allegations recorded in 17 institutions across Ireland involving 190 alleged abusers.
A planned commission of investigation is likely to find additional cases, Education Minister Norma Foley told a news conference. “The level of abuse is shocking. It is truly shocking, and so is the number of alleged abusers,” a visibly distraught Foley said.
“The level of abuse is shocking”: A visibly emotional Education Minister Norma Foley tears up as she announces an investigation into instances of abuse in schools run by religious orders between 1927 and 2013 in Ireland. pic.twitter.com/HmqLTlb9OM
— gript (@griptmedia) September 3, 2024
The Irish Times quoted Taoiseach Simon Harris as saying said the Government’s response to the report would be “survivor centred”.
The 700-page scoping report into the past abuse was a “harrowing read,” he said. “It is a shadow of our past that continues to loom large in so many lives, so many families, so many communities.”
The Government of Ireland would work with abuse survivors to find the best “appropriate way” to respond to the findings and recommendations, he said.
Abuse report: Full list of 308 schools and case numbers detailed https://t.co/QstboVl13p
— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) September 3, 2024
Amri, the representative body of many of the orders included in the scoping report, has said it is “deeply sorry” for the abuse experienced in religious-run schools, the Irish Times report added.
“We acknowledge the courage and bravery of the victims and survivors. We are deeply sorry that they experienced abuse in religious-run schools,” AMRI said.
It has worked with its members who were involved in running the schools “to facilitate the fullest co-operation in this Inquiry,” Amri added.
“We will carefully examine the recommendations and respond accordingly.”
(With Inputs from Reuters)
