A chara, – More organisations are in the spotlight over sexual abuse of children. Such abuse happens everywhere – and not just in Ireland.
It’s time to take stock. It’s now 20 years since the Savi (Sexual Abuse and Violence in Ireland) Report of 2002. The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC) website says: “Commissioned by DRCC and conducted by Hannah McGee, Rebecca Garavan, Mairéad de Barra, Joanne Byrne and Ronán Conroy of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. The report investigates the prevalence of sexual violence in Ireland. It describes the personal experiences of more than 3,000 men and women surveyed on their attitudes towards and experience of all forms of sexual violence, both as adults and as children.”
It did not narrow the focus to particular organisations, but examined the whole of Irish society. It’s the only comprehensive study we have to date.
The report got very little attention in the media at the time: public awareness was not prominent, despite some high-profile cases.
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It’s time for a fresh Savi report, now that the story has changed so much. We need the full picture. Rather than expensive public inquiries into a few organisations, we need the full picture if we are to address sexual abuse comprehensively. Anything less than this won’t do. – Is mise,
PÁDRAIG McCARTHY,
Sandyford,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – We have seen in the past where tribunals went on seemingly forever, cost the earth and simply found fault with the “system”. No thanks.
What is needed is that all records from all institutions with a hint of suspicion against them, and potentially even without, including the Civil Service, the church, the Christian Brothers and the Mother and Baby homes, to name but a few, must be seized and an independent group of experts tasked with tying all the threads together. This is the only way we will ever get to the bottom of this horrific history we have in Ireland.
Once we can see the full picture, along with the links that are not obvious now, we can learn and ensure that it never happens again. – Yours, etc,
JOHN POWER,
Cabinteely,
Dublin 18.