NORTHERN IRELAND
Yahoo! News
By Amanda Ferguson
Reuters
January 20, 2017
BELFAST (Reuters) – Children in Northern Ireland suffered decades of cruel sexual, physical and emotional abuse in institutions run by the state, charities and the Catholic and Protestant churches, an official report said on Friday.
Instances of sexual abuse by priests and lay people were detailed in a 2,300 page, 12-volume report that identified widespread systemic failings and extended responsibility to the Northern Irish government and church authorities.
“Some institutions providing residential child care were responsible for a range of institutional practices which constituted systemic abuse,” Sir Anthony Hart, a retired High Court judge who chaired the four-year inquiry, told a news conference.
“There were individuals who provided excellent care and others who were cruel and abusive, physically and emotionally towards the children for whom they were responsible. This abuse has affected many people for the rest of their lives.”
Victims at the news conference applauded Hart as he concluded his more than two-hour findings.
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