Ireland's Biggest Ever Child Abuse Inquiry Will Today Report Evidence That Is Likely to Rock the Catholic Church.
By Enda Brady
Sky News
May 20, 2009
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Ireland-Child-Abuse-Enquiry-To-Report-Evidence-From-Ryan- Commission-That-Could-Rock-Catholic-Church/Article/200905315285008
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| Evidence was collected from thousands who allege they were abused as children |
Around 2,500 men and women who were abused in schools and institutions across the Republic gave evidence to the government-backed Commission, led by Justice Sean Ryan at a total cost of £65m.
Victims hope the publication of its 2,500 pages will finally reveal the truth about the hidden torture they suffered as children.
In an interim report in 2003, it was revealed that hundreds of men and women were beaten with a list of weapons, including leather straps, sticks and farm implements.
Maeve Lewis, from the support group One in Four, said victims wanted a well-documented acknowledgement of the abuse suffered in the institutions.
"Over 35,000 children from the 1940s onwards were condemned to live under a regime of physical, sexual and emotional abuse and neglect," she said.
"While these institutions no longer exist people who are now aged 30 to 80 live by day with the impact their experiences had on their lives."
The Commission's findings will make difficult reading for orders like the Christian Brothers and the Sisters of Mercy, which ran many of children's institutions under investigation.
Some of the allegations are more than 60 years old, with many of the perpetrators already dead.
Help groups say the report's publication could awaken a lot of distress for people who may not have reached out for help yet.
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