Amendment to Bill could give victims of sex abuse time to sue

The Dail is to debate an amendment to the Statute of Limitations Bill which would allow victims of child sexual abuse to pursue actions against perpetrators after the normal statute of limitations period has expired.

The move follows the screening of the first in a series of programmes on child abuse, States of Fear, which was screened on RTE on Tuesday night.

The programme related harrowing stories of abuse of young boys and girls by members of religious orders who ran the State's institutional schools. The interviews recounted abuses which happened as recently as the 1970s.

Under the present Act a three-year limit is set during which any person should initiate civil legal actions for injuries. Exemptions apply to those "under a disability" because they were under 18 years of age or of unsound mind. In the case of child abuse the three-year limit runs from the child's 18th birthday.

Now, however, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, the Labour Party spokeswoman on equality and law reform, is to table an amendment during Labour Private Members' time in the Dail next week. Ms O'Sullivan is to seek a change which would extend the category of those "under a disability" to victims of child sexual abuse.

"It should include victims of child sexual abuse who, because of the traumatic nature of the abuse, have found it impossible within that time-frame to come to terms with the physical, intellectual and emotional injuries they have suffered," Ms O'Sullivan told The Irish Times.

The television programme was also raised in the Senate yesterday, when Senator Helen Keogh (PD) said the State must find a mechanism to empower victims of child sexual abuse - as well as those who knew what was going on at the time.

Meanwhile, the order of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, which was named in the RTE programme, said last evening that it deeply regretted that any young man was mistreated while in its care and it offered its "sincerest apologies".

"At the same time we cannot accept certain of the assertions made by the programme, particularly in relation to funding. However, before commenting further, a more detailed study of the available records would be required."

The statement continued: "We are glad the point was made that many boys did experience kindness. This programme has lifted a veil on the way that disadvantaged children have been treated in Irish society.

"Hopefully it will prove to be a step in the continuing work of research and healing."

The majority of calls to the Rape Crisis Centre in the immediate aftermath of the programme were from men who had been abused in religious institutions.

The director of the Rape Crisis Centre, Ms Olive Braiden, said the centre had brought in additional counsellors and a receptionist on the evening of the programme to handle the large volume of calls.

Ms Braiden said the calls had continued for two hours after the show and, to a lesser extent, overnight. Yesterday both the Rape Crisis Centre and the telephone help-line Faoiseamh, for people abused by the religious, reported a higher than normal level of calls. Ms Braiden welcomed the programme, describing it as "very, very well researched".

The Minister for Education, Mr Martin, said last night he did not have access to the full files relating to the allegations made in the RTE programme States of Fear, but added the "present Government is not in the business of defending the indefensible".

He added: "I am not for hiding anything. It is time the shutters were pulled up on the whole affair."