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	Nuns Had 'Embargo on Hugging' Children in Industrial School By Mary Regan One in Four [Ireland] May 17, 2006 http://www.oneinfour.org/news/news2006/embargo/ Nuns were actively discouraged from showing affection towards the children in their care in Saint Joseph's Industrial School in Clifden, the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse heard yesterday Sr Margaret Casey, from the Sisters of mercy, admitted to the investigation there was an "embargo on hugging" young girls and boys in the school, which closed in 1983 after more than a century in operation. The commission heard that one nun, praised for her kindness by residents during the inquiry, would have given a hug to children "on the sly" and "when no one was looking". Sr Casey agreed that this would have been the case. "We all have our own natural warmth and affection needs. With the vow of chastity and celibacy, the thinking was that instead of showing love and affection for one person, they were encouraged to show love for all. They would have been discouraged from showing affection but that's not to say you couldn't build up relationships with them." The inquiry also heard corporal punishment was taking place in the institution up until 1980. But Sr Casey said that matter was down to "a particular staff member and not a general childcare policy". She said it was sufficiently unique to warrant an investigation, which was carried out. She also acknowledged that the staff-to-pupil ratio in the 1950s and 1960s was "unacceptable by today's standards", with just two sisters working in the institution, which hosed 80 children. "Regrettably, it wasn't in their consciousness that there were problems emerging because of overcrowding and the lack of staff. There was enough for providing basic clothing and shelter. But to give children the care they needed, there wasn't enough carers to address their needs," she said. "In our public apology, we apologized to sisters as well as complainants because we didn't put in the support mechanisms for them and we didn't recognise that they had to work very long hours." Another member of the order, Sr Anne Marie McQuaid from Saint Joseph's Industrial School in Dundalk, emphasised there was "no atmosphere of abuse at the institution". But she said: "Due to the length of time and number of children, the reality was that children could have been beaten severely and, for this we are very sad and apologise." She said there was one incident where a member of staff beat a child with a hairbrush but when residents complained about this, the staff member was dismissed. "The resident manager would have had supervision of staff and she laid down very strict rules about the punishment of children. That wasn't always kept, sadly," she said.
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