Irish Government Announces Statutory Inquiry into Historical Religious Order Sexual Abuse

The Irish Government has announced the establishment of a statutory inquiry into widespread sexual abuse by hundreds of schools across the country run by religious orders, including a number of special schools.

This decision follows a Cabinet review of a harrowing Scoping Report detailing decades of abuse, much of which went unaddressed by school management.

Terms of Reference

The terms of reference for the statutory inquiry are being developed, with a focus on ensuring cooperation from the religious orders involved, namely the Spiritans, who ran Blackrock College, and the Jesuits, who controlled Belvedere College. The inquiry could potentially investigate thousands of cases.

Key Report Findings

Some of the key findings in the report are as follows:

• 2,395 allegations of sexual abuse in respect of 308 schools recorded by the religious order who ran those schools.
• The report details allegations of abuse at primary and post-primary schools as well as special and community schools. Some 528 allegations of abuse at special schools across the State were disclosed against 194 separate alleged abusers.
• The majority of the alleged abusers were members of the Christian Brothers religious order (84%), with the next biggest category being lay staff (14%), then other clergy (2%). No peer abuse is recorded.
• The vast majority (84%) of the alleged abusers recorded in the religious order’s records are deceased.
• The number of allegations reported in female religious order run schools is 158, as compared to 2,217 in male religious order schools.

Widespread Alleged Sexual Abuse

The Scoping report, which has shocked government officials, names multiple schools across Ireland and reveals a disturbing pattern of abuse by clergy, often involving the shuffling of offenders between institutions to avoid detection. This report is set to be shared with survivors.

The number of schools with allegations of historical sexual abuse also shows that such allegations were not confined to schools in any particular geographic or social category.

The incidents of sexual abuse were, in the main, described as having occurred between the early 1960s and the early 1990s, with the highest number of reported incidents occurring in the early to mid-1970s.

Government Reaction 

Minister for Education, Ms. Norma Foley said that the level of abuse was shocking. “It is truly shocking and so is the number of alleged abusers. There were 884 alleged abusers in schools of 42 religious orders.”

Taoiseach, Mr. Simon Harris has emphasised the importance of keeping survivors informed as the inquiry progresses. “Survivors will be the first to know the next steps the Government takes in relation to any statutory inquiry,” Mr. Harris stated.

Special Schools

Ms. Foley has said that it is “nothing short of horrific” in relation to what happened in special schools. She said that a small number of students from those schools came forward as part of the inquiry. Ms. Foley said that former students of those schools would be “facilitated in whatever capacity that we have” to come forward and give evidence.

Implications of the Report

Unfortunately, some of the findings are shocking. Terms of reference will take place over the coming weeks. It is anticipated that this inquiry will cover all types of schools rather than those solely ran by the religious orders.

Redress Scheme

The Scoping Inquiry has recommended that the Government consider a redress scheme for survivors of historical sexual abuse in day and boarding schools.

It has also recommended that the Government approach relevant religious orders about contributing to redress.

Conclusion

This investigation marks a significant development in Ireland’s ongoing reckoning with historical abuses within Catholic institutions and may lead to broader inquiries in the future. The report’s findings could potentially open the door to further legal actions.

Further Information

Lavelle Partners act for several clients in relation to historic child sexual abuse cases. Please contact Avril Scally, Partner and Head of our Personal Injury & Medical Negligence Team, in the strictest of confidence, if you would like to discuss a possible case.