Abuse victims angry over exclusion from tribunal

Child sex abuse victims who are to be excluded from the Compensation Tribunal proposed under the terms of the Residential Institutions Bill, currently before the Dail, have expressed anger in a letter to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.

Last month Bishop Eamonn Walsh, the senior Dublin auxiliary bishop, wrote to the Taoiseach expressing the Irish Catholic bishops' concern about the proposed exclusion of such victims. He said "the same standards of redress and instruments of redress" should apply to children abused in schools as well as in institutions.

The victims' letter, dated June 26th, followed a Dail statement by the Minister for Education, Dr Woods, last Tuesday that "the Bill is focused on children who were in residential care in institutions for which public bodies had regulatory and supervisory functions, typically industrial schools, reformatories and children's homes".

The excluded victims point out they "gave evidence in court which led to the conviction of Donal Dunne, and others such as Noel Conway and Brother Jack Kelly" and were "outraged" at their exclusion.

"Drawing a distinction between victims who were abused in institutions and day schools is totally unacceptable and contrary to your apology," they told the Taoiseach.

On May 11th, 1999, Mr Ahern apologised in the Dail to child abuse victims on behalf of the State and its citizens "for our collective failure to intervene, to detect your pain and to come to your rescue".

The State's failure in the Donal Dunne case had been described in 1998 by the then Minister for Education, Mr Martin, as "seriously lacking even by the standards of the time", the letter continued.

It pointed out that, with the Dail soon to go into recess and the debate on the Bill not expected to be resumed until October, victims were "now faced with the deadline of July 31 set by Ms Justice Laffoy for requests to appear before the Commission (on Child Abuse). Without the Compensation Tribunal the Commission will never learn the true extent or causes of abuse in the primary and secondary school systems".

It said it was "entirely unacceptable that the Government would effectively block participation in an inquiry by putting obstacles in the path of potential participants. Allowing victims access to a Compensation Tribunal with awards similar to the High Court would allow them to begin rebuilding their lives."

A spokesman for the Taoiseach said last night the victims' letter had been received but that no action had been taken on it yet.