Letter to the Minister of Education in respect of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Schools run by religious orders

13 August 2023

Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in Schools run

by religious orders

Dear Minister,

I am contacting you in respect of the Scoping Inquiry into Historical Sexual Abuse in

Schools run by religious orders.

As a victim of physical abuse by Father Seamus McEvoy, then headmaster of Saint

Kieran’s College, Kilkenny (which I have documented here - www.eoinkcostello.org),

I am writing to ask why the physical abuse of children in schools run by religious

orders was not included in the scoping inquiry.

While the sexual abuse of students is reprehensible, the physical abuse of children

was to some pupils, in terms of long term emotional and psychological impact, very

damaging. While child sexual abuse in schools was practised by the perpetrators

covertly, physical abuse was practised publicly, systemically and on a scale intended

to intimidate and humiliate children while providing an unacceptable outlet for the

rage and hatred of some frustrated, predatory members of the religious orders.

Myself and my former Saint Kieran’s classmate Mick Quinn, both feel that on the

40th anniversary of the full implementation of the ban on corporal punishment this is

an issue of national significance. While "States of Fear" (2004) investigated the

history of child abuse in residential institutions in Ireland, "Cardinal Secrets" (2002)

examined the issue of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Ireland and "Suffer

the Little Children" (1994) exposed the inside story of Ireland's industrial schools, to

date we are not aware of a public examination that has exposed in a systematic way

the extent and impact of the physical abuse which took place in religious run schools

before the ban on corporal punishment came into widespread effect in 1983.

The state has approached the matters of religious institutional and clerical abuse

through the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Ryan Commission), the

Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin (Murphy

Report), the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes, the

Commission of Investigation into the Sisters of Charity (Goldenbridge), Commission

of Investigation into the Sisters of Mercy and the Commission of Investigation into

the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne (Cloyne Report).

No such commission was established to examine the substantial and lifelong impact

of physical abuse on children in schools run by religious orders up until the ban on

corporal punishment came into widespread effect in 1983.

I believe that this blind spot on the toll of physical abuse is in part due to the

institutional attitude being conditioned by the statute of limitations, while there is no

statute of limitations on sexual abuse, the limit for physical abuse it is 2 years.

I note that the current scoping enquiry includes abuse allegations in many cases that

extend back to the 1960s and 1970s. This is very welcome. When I have raised the

matter of physical abuse prior to 1983 the response I sometimes receive is that it

was ‘way back then’.

The reality is that it is not a legacy, "that was then" issue, as experts in PTSD will tell

you. For those of our generation that suffered physical abuse, unless they got

professional help, the trauma is very much alive in their limbic system and, based on

the 10 classmates I rang before I met Father McEvoy a couple of weeks ago, has

created a legacy of damaged lives.

My reason for writing now is to ask that the Department of Education scoping inquiry,

which will shape the Government’s response to revelations of historical sexual abuse

in schools run by religious orders, be extended to include physical abuse.

When you spoke in the Irish Times Minister at the time of launching the consultation

element of the scoping inquiry you rightly said it was “vitally important that survivors

of historical child sexual abuse have the opportunity to be heard in full’.

We believe that the victims of physical abuse in schools run by religious orders

should also be heard.

Your sincerely,

Eoin Costello

Mick Quinn

CC

Mary O’Toole SC, Head of Scoping Inquiry

Kieran McGrath, Director at Irish Child & Family Institute

Maeve Lewis, CEO One in Four

Kathrina Bentley, CEO Men’s Aid