Child abuse victims to discuss their attitude to commission of inquiry

The producer of the television series States of Fear, Ms Mary Raftery, and the Fine Gael spokesmen of health and education, Mr…

The producer of the television series States of Fear, Ms Mary Raftery, and the Fine Gael spokesmen of health and education, Mr Alan Shatter and Mr Richard Bruton, will be among the speakers at a meeting for survivors of child abuse on Saturday.

The meeting is being organised by Irish SOCA (Survivors of Child Abuse) and has been called to discuss the attitude survivors should take to the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, and to the Statute of Limitations Bill.

In a letter inviting survivors to the meeting, the co-ordinator, Mr John Kelly, says: "The survivors have to decide if they can buy into the commission whilst the Statute of Limitations Bill remains in its present form . . .

"It is hoped that after the meeting the executives of the survivors' groups can meet to plan the way forward and to make sure survivors are not exploited."

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He said that if survivors wished to tell their stories to the commission, they would need accommodation and a drop-in centre manned by survivors.

However, some survivors' groups will not be at the meeting. The Alliance for Healing from Institutional Abuse, which has branches in Dublin, Northern Ireland, Limerick, Kerry, Letterfrack and Kilkenny, will be holding private meetings to decide on its attitude to the commission, according to its spokesman, Mr Tom Hayes.

He said many of their members did not want to appear in public discussing what happened to them. "We will have quiet meetings in our own groups, and then we will draw up a written submission," he said.

He accused the Government of fostering a "cottage industry" of survivors' groups by offering them money to help with counselling.

"The Government should set up an office with staff and a free telephone number for people to contact. Those of us who are helping to prepare people for the commission have been inundated because there is no centralised place for people to phone."

He said the alliance received no money, either from the Government or the religious orders, to assist in its work.

A spokesman for the Department of Education said the Department had given funding to some groups on an ad-hoc basis, but now intended to set up offices which would act as an information and referral service for victims.

"They could get information not just on the commission, but on health, social welfare and education issues," he added.