SCOTLAND
Scotland on Sunday
by SHAN ROSS
Published on the 18 August 2013
A DEDICATED helpline for victims of alleged sexual and physical abuse at two boarding schools in Scotland run by the Catholic Church is being launched today.
Children 1st, the charity that campaigns for children’s rights, set up the helpline following allegations of abuse at the Benedictine-run Fort Augustus Abbey School in the Highlands and its prep school Carlekemp in East Lothian.
The move follows the former headteacher at the boarding school stepping aside from his current position at an Oxford hall for student monks. Father Francis Davidson faces allegations that he failed to act on reports of sexual abuse that were made during his time at Fort Augustus in the 1970s.
It also follows a BBC Scotland investigation broadcast last month that featured five men who claimed they had been raped or sexually assaulted by two Australian monks Father Aidan Duggan and Father Chrysostom Alexander. Father Fabian Duggan, Father Aidan Duggan’s brother has also been accused of abuse.
About 50 alleged victims at the two schools have spoken about events over nearly three decades. A total of ten monks face allegations of physical abuse; four monks and a lay teacher are accused of sexual abuse, including rape. Police Scotland is investigating the allegations.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.