IRELAND
One in Four
by Martin Wall of The Irish Times
Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse: A senior member of the Christian Brothers has accepted that boys were abused at St Joseph's Industrial School at Letterfrack, Co Galway, but has completely rejected claims that there had been suspicious or mysterious deaths in the institution.
Brother David Gibson, provincial leader, St Mary's Province of the Christian Brothers, said abuse had been carried out on an individual and isolated basis by a small number of members of the congregation and lay persons.
However, he said this abuse had not been systematic and when it had become known, action had been taken immediately - although this was generally dealt with internally within the congregation and the civil authorities were not informed.
Giving evidence before the investigation committee of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, Brother Gibson said that 60 years ago, sexual abuse had been seen more as a moral failure than as a crime.