IRELAND
online.ie
2005-10-25 17:20:02+01
The Ferns Inquiry Report is another damning indictment of how Irish society has failed to protect children, a leading children's charity said tonight.
The report outlines a litany of cruelty to children of various ages over many years, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children said.
"This cruelty, consisting not just of sexual abuse of children, but of institutionalised silence and inaction, served not only to traumatise and hurt children but also served to make these children feel that they were to blame for the abuse perpetrated on them," a spokesman said.
"Many of these children, now adults, still carry the emotional and psychological impact of their experiences.