Public Inquiry : Survivors as equals at the table, and needs unmet thus far.There is a world of difference between ‘survivor-led’ and ‘survivor-consulted’.

*There is a world of difference between ‘survivor-led’ and ‘survivor-consulted’. 

A much respected hard working survivor advocate wrote these *words.  These are mine : a public inquiry cannot be a case of 'we do this to and for Survivors, whom we've consulted.' As I write I remind myself, and my readers that I do not write for all Survivors, as an 'authority'. I wrote these words because they are what I see, from my small space, looking at it all.

I want to contribute to the task ahead of us.

On the 6th November 2022 two brothers, who were subjected to predatory abuse by the same cleric, some 40 years ago, told their story to the Irish people, via RTE, the State public broadcaster.

https://www.rte.ie/radio/doconone/1333550-blackrock-boys

In the following weeks further presentations by the two brothers, and others, across Irish News media revealed a wider extent of predatory abuse of children than previously acknowledged. The brothers, and others, issued calls for a Public Inquiry. Government made noises moving towards that outcome, everyone unsure what the task of this Inquiry ought to be.

Their personal testimony was also presented, a month later on November 9th, on the popular Late Late Show. Their testimony was raw, honest, painful, courageous, humble, upright, no more shame. The brutality of their assailant was made quite clear, in brief stark terms. 

RTE Late Late Show 9 November segment : A survivor, David, describes his experience, honestly, humbly.

The audience paid close attention to the two brothers and their friend, as they spoke, from start to finish.  The support for these two men, their friend, the respect for courage, the empathy and concern was palpable.
The Institutions protected the assailants, not the children.

The audience took upon itself to offer a long hearty standing ovation to the two brothers, and their friend and by extension to proffer support and recognition, to all Survivors, in Ireland and elsewhere across a varied diaspora as the precious children of Ireland. To be nurtured. To be held, in safety, and supported to live well, and in some peace, if justice is fully served.

21% of one year of Black Rock College reported incidents of sexual abuse, as targets or as bystanders.

How many in each year, on any given year? In any given day school or boarding school? In places that purport to nurture children?

How many boarding schools were in operation over all that time, all those lost childhoods?

We have been here before. RTE Question Time 25th May 2009.

"A question is asked about the Ryan Commission report on child abuse within institutions run by the religious orders in Ireland. After the panel had spoken the questioner responded and his response...well see for yourself. Just a note, but my apologies for the ragged nature of the end of the piece. Editing wasn't very good with the late hour."


I have been told that there are court and civil cases dating back to 1982 that have yet to arrive at satisfactory accountability, there are gaps in support for Survivors, there's too many inadequate responses - the institutions were begrudging, defensive, justice is delayed. More harm is caused.

So last century, don't you think? Only ain't. That's really sad.

Ireland, this time we really do need to know what happened, we need to understand this, accurately, honestly, fully. 

" A problem that is more fully understood is half way towards resolution, a problem incorrectly understood is insoluble."

That, plus immediate support for presenting current survivors, is the start, and then we can set matters as right as they can be, in this imperfect, evolving culture we share. We must understand this. We must support the Survivors, and together support the Government of the day, and the Churches and others to do the right thing, correctly.

A mandate for a country, a population.

Do the right thing.
The State and people of Ireland ought understand that they are now mandated by the testimony of Survivors, by their presence, their very existence as a demographic  (an identifiable group of citizens, adults who as children have been grievously harmed within the 'care' of Institutions of Education)  to lend all  support to the association of Survivors as a body, with a representative panel, seated at the table where Government and others discuss the nature, task and terms of reference of this Public Inquiry.
A representative panel of Survivors, supported by experts and advocates, where the concerns of Survivors regarding this Public Inquiry are set as equals at the table. Support for a wider reach of Survivor insight, evidence, observations to feed into the representative panel, to inform the process.
A mechanism where decisions on policies and protocols affecting Survivors are being discussed by Survivors, Government, and others, together as a collegiate; where issues concerning this matter are being deliberated, where policies and protocols are being set out and agreed upon and where processes are designated for implementation and so forth, with Survivors at the centre, core to the deliberation.

Unmet needs, past and present
The unmet needs of thousands of children, over so many decades, are today the unmet needs of living Survivors, the unmeetable needs of those who for whatever reason, passed on, distressed to the last breath, they are the unmet needs of Ireland's children. 
Such an Inquiry will need access to the best tools of inquiry and facilities to carry on research where it is required to assess the full scale of the culture of harm and cover-up, mitigation and management - Survivors are the largest natural data bank before the Inquiry.

Clarity.

The combination of official, institutional records and the testimony and human geography of Survivors lived experience, from so many offers a level of historical clarity. 
Survivors needs in this Inquiry are clarity, honesty, transparency and accountability.

Survivors families needs in this Inquiry are clarity, honesty, transparency and accountability.
Ireland's needs in this Inquiry are clarity, honesty, transparency and accountability.
It is correct that the Inquiry settings, it's task and terms of reference be developed with adequate oversight by Survivors and their expert advocates.
Survivors are a diverse group of people and therefore generic approaches to 'survivors' as a body will fail to bring the necessary nuanced listening, the attention to detail, the willingness to hear and understand that would be required to represent this body accurately.  
Consulting via a poll of some survivors cannot not represent Survivors. 
A Survivors Panel ought to be enabled to represent Survivors, as soon as possible. 
Survivors must also be heard and understood, as who they are as a population, within the Legislature. 
This task is for the whole Government, it is not just a task for the Party in Government.
This task is also the task of the State, The Church, and the people of Ireland. 

Un-met needs
"There are things in a child's life that ought to happen and do not; and there are things in a child's life that ought not to happen, ever. To the extent these natural enough expectations are met or not, there is health or disruption of the child's life."

The unmet needs of the children each Survivor was, as they endured such vile mistreatment are alive, and as vital to this inquiry as are the unmet needs of the adult Survivors today.  
Both sets of needs live side by side. 
They must inform the Inquiry as to it's central task.
Those children needed the following. They needed someone to stop the predator. Someone to protect the child. Someone to hear the child's concerns, to allay any notion of guilt or shame, to assure the child that he or she is safe now, that this will never happen again, that the child will be safe into the future.

Someone, better still a loving community, who take robust action to prevent the identified predator(s) from ever engaging in such behaviour in society. Once is once too many times.
Those children needed some adults who cared deeply for them and whose care held the space for the child to return to a sense of safety, and thus to continue to grow and develop as a human person, maturing, part of  a healthy community, albeit wounded. Cared for, understood, loved albeit mortally wounded.   A single decision has a life long impact.
A culture of protection causes intergenerational retriggering because it delays the process of justice 
The original single vile predatory decision, re-iterated within an adversarial, protective culture. Trauma upon trauma, and the silence reverberates with silent cries amid continued harm. Life-long harm. 
Survivors need and deserve an honest, transparent Public Inquiry.

Ireland
Ireland really ought not allow this moment to pass, as other Public Inquiries into child abuse and institutions have - let us get it right this time, spot on. Let us not allow a repeat of processes that were somehow incomplete, that left lingering questions, processes that were less than transparent, processes that were adversarial, to have had institutions dictate to Survivors the task at hand, the terms of reference, often excluding Survivors from the key areas of decision making, by  a process of 'consulting'  with 'Survivors' at arms length (we did consult, and we took no notice).
Rather than through a direct deliberative engagement, as equals in those discussions, as part of the process.  That caused actual harm.
Survivors insights, lived experience, evidence and Survivors needs for accountability, justice, reparation and life support, have always been, still are and will always be critically important parts of this necessary process. 
Care must be taken. This work, this Inquiry must nurture Survivors. That's the outcome number one.
Because these are also the needs of Ireland's children. Unmet for decades, adult lives carry the cost of the silence. In pain. In loss. In grief. In terror. In shame. In horror. In self-loathing. In rage. In silence. In depression. In chronic disease. In addiction. In penury. Inconsolable.
Ireland needs to meet those needs, now.
"We cannot have peace without truth. Do the right thing," M. Markle, Actor

Kindest regards

Corneilius

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Why Ireland needs a judicial public inquiry into historical child sexual predatory abuse within Boarding Schools, Day Schools.

Open letter to Irish Government, Churches and Media
~Why Ireland needs a judicial public inquiry into historical child sexual predatory abuse within Boarding Schools, Day Schools.

Clerical child abuse - an Irish timeline : Irish Times brief

As a child of Ireland, a ward of guardians, I was placed in five Irish Catholic boarding schools over a 11 year period, from 1966 through to 1977. 
A convent boarding school, an elite preparatory school, an Irish speaking school, a reformatory boarding school, another Irish speaking school.
I was subjected to predatory abuse within all these schools. I was utterly alone. I had no advocates, no protectors, I told no one. It was quite awful, all the time. I became habituated to that state. That was my normal. A child of Ireland. I fled Ireland aged 19.
I have endured the adverse effects of cPTSD for all my adult life.  I had always thought I was the problem. Shame, self loathing, narcissism, a tendency to be a bully, paranoia, sleep problems, always over compensating, never good enough. In my heart and mind, a darkness lurked. 
This has impacted all my adult relationships, adversely. I accept my part in all of that. I also understand the symptoms of years of chronic exposure to abuse as they present as behaviour. 
I am in counselling.
I know for sure that I am not an outlier, a unique and rare case. 
I was a child alone, as were so many others, who will remain countless until we find out how many were predated upon by men and women who got away with it, more or less, courtesy of the power of the Institutions.
Survivors deserve honesty, justice and reparation, support and recognition, kindness and respect.
This Inquiry could have been suggested in 1992.  There were already enough proven cases and allegations known to the Government of Ireland and to the Churches to justify same.
What harms have fallen upon survivors in the past 30 years, as a result?
Ireland, as a State and a people,  must avoid  repeating that failure to act in a timely manner.
We need a full Public Inquiry covering all State and Religious run schools across Ireland, where any allegations of predatory abuse have ever emerged since commencement of the State. 
We must start with judicial oversight, with open verified access to all religious order data and papers related to predatory abuse mandated, as a means to meet the needs of Survivors. 
The State and Institutions know what they knew. Survivors do not. That is an inequitable disparity. 
And that is the problem that only a Judicial Public Inquiry can resolve. Timely in this instance means complete the task, look at and appraise the full extent of the child predation, bullying, the violence and psychological abuse, hold accountable those who are accountable, make reparations and design a schooling system, a cultural environment that prevents all of that from ever happening again.
Every child of Ireland deserves nothing less than that, past and present.

Corneilius Crowley







Kindest regards

Corneilius

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Open Letter to Media and Politicians in Ireland - Blackrock Boys

 A recent RTE Radio Documentary 'Blackrock Boys' brought up the story of clerical abuse of children in one of Irelands elite Boarding Schools.

https://www.rte.ie/radio/doconone/1333550-blackrock-boys

Alison O'Connor's article in The Examiner, 11th November speaks to this dreadful situation.

"Where to begin with a story that just never ends? It is almost 30 years ago since I, as a young journalist, first spoke to someone who had been sexually abused by a priest as a child.

Three decades on it has been honestly nauseating to listen, first, to the very fine RTÉ Doc on One, Blackrock Boys, and the subsequent horrific outpouring all week of other boys, now men, of their own abuse at the hands of clerics."

https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/arid-41003687.html

Vincent Healy, who took his case against the Spiritans to the courts in 2009, and won, as his case was proven, has been working as a Survivors advocate ever since.

 “I want answers from the State and religious congregations about the suffering of children who attended day schools, and only an inquiry can determine the numbers affected. The State has a responsibility to secure the welfare of students, but day-school students have been criminally neglected.

He added the State had been “belligerent towards people like me” and said “victims of abuse have been subjected to the rigours of the courts, criminal and civil”.

The sexual abuse of boys by Spiritan priests first came to public attention in Ireland in March 2009 when Fr Henry Maloney was convicted of abusing Mark Vincent Healy and Paul Daly, who died in June 2011, when both were pupils at St Mary’s College, Rathmines, between 1969 and 1973. Moloney was given a suspended sentence due to ill health and as he was already under strict supervision at the Spiritans’ Kimmage Manor in Dublin. He had been out of ministry and under supervision since 1996.

A second Spiritan priest accused by Mr Healy, Fr Arthur Carragher, died in Canada in January 2011. He taught at St Mary’s in 1969. In 2001 two brothers made abuse allegations against Fr Carragher but there is no extradition treaty between Ireland and Canada, where he then lived, and he successfully resisted being tried in Ireland. The priest later admitted abusing the brothers.

For decades the reaction of both The Spiritans and The Irish State has been to 'manage a crisis' of confidence, to maintain status quo of power in an adversarial manner that has prevented Survivors from a full accounting of the harms caused by predatory clerics and those who masked the abuse of children in their care.

The matter remains unresolved. A public Inquiry is necessary to resolve this situation.

Here follows an open letter I sent out today to Irish Media and politicians.

To the Editor, To members of the Irish Government, an open letter.

A Chara,

The recently aired RTE Radio documentary 'Blackrock Boys' tells a truly awful, tragic story. Two brothers, a few years apart, groomed, bullied and sexually assaulted by the same cleric, in the same school.  They were unable to tell their parents or each other. 

The institutions adversarial defence. Survivors in deep distress for decades. Family life disrupted for generations. A similar pattern took place in many other residential and day schools across Ireland. We do not yet know the full extent and scope of this pattern. That is why we need a Public Inquiry.

The RTE Documentary also speaks to the courage, the humility, the heart of Survivors and their advocates, who work  to hold accountable those who were and are responsible for the harms caused, be they  individuals, Religious or State institutions and other organisations.

The determination of Survivors and their advocates to proceed. in spite of an overtly adversarial dynamic, where the culpable parties attempt to mitigate their exposure to public accountability through various means, methods we are all too familiar, with is heroic.  

It can be said that genuine humane  courage is exemplified when those who have caused harm acknowledge the harm they have caused, admit the things done that prevented prevention, understand  that defensive behaviour by institutions and individuals has exacerbated adverse life long outcomes for those children so harmed, into adulthood,  and to honestly and transparently give a full accounting of what transpired, with a view to prevention, reparations and justice..

That is what Jesus would probably urge, is it not? Hold a full and honest accounting of the harms caused, and address the needs of Survivors.

Ireland is rated in international comparisons as the most helpful State in terms of global goodness.

Why is it that Ireland cannot reach that happy state for hundreds of thousands of it's own children who have been so deeply harmed?

Kindest regards

Corneilius

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When we claim the Politicians are incompetent, I think we are trying to evade the truth.

When we, the people, claim the Politicians are incompetent, I think we and the politicians are trying to evade the truth.

The NeoLiberal Politicians are extremely able - indeed they are adept, experts, geniuses - at looting the taxpayer, and increasing wealth extraction. 

Whilst we - the ordinary worker and tax payer - are utterly incompetent in countering that, let alone preventing it.

The inability of Labour socially minded MPs to counter the disgusting abusive campaigns of slander, gaslighting, bullying by the Labour NeoLiberals within the party it self speaks to this truth.

We ordinary folk need to up our game. Big Time. Collectively.

How Bullying operates in Politics.

"Very few people, when put to the test, have the integrity and moral courage to stand up against bullying, harassment, abuse, threats and corruption. The targets of adult bullying are selected often because they DO have the moral courage to challenge; many people will pass by on the other side.

A target of adult bullying is most often chosen because of their strength, not their weakness. Research shows that targets of bullying tend to have highly developed empathy, and sensitivity for others, a high degree of perceptiveness, high moral values, a well-developed integrity, a strong sense of fair play and reasonableness, a low propensity to violence, a reluctance to pursue grievance, disciplinary or legal action, a strong forgiving streak and a mature understanding of the need to resolve conflict with dialogue. Often, targets of bullying are independent, self-reliant and “different” in some way. Weak people often disingenuously confuse these hallmarks of character with weakness.

Bullies aim to inflict psychological injury more often than physical injury. Their main aim is to control, discredit, isolate and eliminate their target.

The word “victim” also allows disingenuous people to tap into and stimulate other people’s misconceptions and prejudices of victimhood which include the inference that the person was somehow complicit in the abuse. (See just-world fallacy and victim-blame narrative). So I use the word “target”, which is also accurate because bullying involves the intentional singling out of a person for abuse.

Bullies, who have no integrity, are vindictive, aggressive, demanding, and regularly violate others’ boundaries; displaying aggression does not respect peoples’ rights, and a bully’s “requests” come with a negative consequence if the course of action demanded by the bully is declined. A bully’s bad behaviour is entirely his or her responsibility, they intend to cause their targets harm, to undermine them and damage them socially, emotionally, psychologically and sometimes, physically. And they often do.

Bullies typically isolate and dehumanise their targets in order to disempower them. It’s a key tactic of control used by all abusers, it can be particularly injuring, emotionally.

The major triggers for bullying come from the bully’s own sense of inadequacy, according to research. 

Feeling envious and threatened by others with competence, integrity and popularity, the bully will project onto them their own inadequacy and incompetence, and often the bully will use their own behaviours and thoughts, attributing them to their target, to rally support for their “cause”. The inadequacy or envy of a bully is often translated into negative language used intentionally to completely diminish the target’s positive qualities, socially.

Using unwarranted criticism and threats, the bully tries to control their target and subjugate them, without a thought for that persons’ contributions, reputation, well-being, health or self confidence. Sooner or later this person – the bully’s target – realises that they are not only being “managed” but bullied, and they will start to show signs of resistance to that. Often, anything said in the target’s self-defence will be distorted and used by the bully, too. Gaslighting involves attempts to either negate or redefine a target’s experiences, and abusers often use this method.

The bully often fears exposure of his/her own incompetence and inadequacy, and takes steps to disable the the target, typically by isolating them and/or destroying their credibility and reputation among peers and decision-makers, putting them out of the picture in the workplace through dismissal, forced resignation or even early retirement. Once the target has gone, within about two weeks, the bully’s focus turns to someone else and the cycle starts again.

Some people enjoy the sense of power and control that bullying others gives them.  

Online bullies aim to isolate the target, destroy their credibility and force them out of established communities and groups." 

This describes exactly what Brexit, and the anti-Corbyn campaign within Labour and across the News Media, did.

Source : https://politicsandinsights.org/2015/01/22/how-bullying-works-projection-and-scapegoating

This blog is essential reading for everyone who votes, and indeed for those who do not vote...  

Kindest regards

Corneilius

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Letter to News Media - Report of IICSA England and Wales ought to send shock waves through English Society

Of these two, which one would be more likely to respond robustly to the IICSA report?

To The Editor

Last week The Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse in England and Wales was delivered.

"The protection of personal and institutional reputations above the protection of children was a frequent institutional reaction. Statutory agencies were not informed, perpetrators were ‘moved on’ and there were failures by those in authority to thoroughly investigate allegations. Records about child sexual abuse allegations were not kept."

This is a pattern familiar to all Irish, Australian, Canadian and American Survivors of Clerical Child Sexual Abuse, Magdalene Laundries, Mental Asylums, Boarding Schools, Day Schools, Adoption Services, Foster Homes, Care Homes and other institutional care settings. 

It is also a pattern familiar to Rape survivors, Domestic  Abuse Survivors and many others.  Indeed, Jeremy Corbyn might be familiar with this cultural reactionary pattern.

The protection of status, image and financial interests of institutions over rides meeting the needs of those who were harmed. That is the pattern.

The publishing of this critically important report was completely over cast by the Conservatives "election-election-election!" soap opera dominating the news cycles in England.

It is true that there is a lot to contend with given the many crises we are all currently enduring. 

Nonetheless, this report ought to send shock waves through English Society at large, just as similar Public Inquiries elsewhere have done.  We ought be appalled at it's conclusions and be evermore determined to change that pattern to one of open, transparent accountability and a robust program of prevention of harm to children, and others rendered vulnerable by power disparity of any kind.

It is therefore both a tragedy and an act of supreme negligence that Labour leader Starmer and others in UK Parliament and indeed the News Media that they are not on the ball on this. One might have hope that 'lessons learned' in other cases might be applied here, but the outlook is not positive. 

How can Irish society help our neighbours, across English society, to confront this cultural problem?

Kindest Regards

Corneilius Crowley

Harrow, London, 

Kindest regards

Corneilius

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The Pattern : The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales has delivered its findings; again the evidence emerges.

The independent inquiry into child sexual abuse (IICSA) in England and Wales has delivered its findings;  again the evidence emerges. There is a behavioural pattern here.

"The protection of personal and institutional reputations above the protection of children was a frequent institutional reaction. Statutory agencies were not informed, perpetrators were ‘moved on’ and there were failures by those in authority to thoroughly investigate allegations. Records about child sexual abuse allegations were not kept.

Some institutions had no child protection policies and procedures. Where policies and procedures were in existence, they were often inadequate or not complied with. Inspections of institutions were, at times, lacking. Recommendations made following internal or external reviews were infrequently implemented and sometimes ignored." source : Executive Summary Of IICSA Report.

Evidence of a pattern of behaviour observed in every country that has ever held a  public inquiry into child abuse and the response of institutional culture to the children and adult survivors reporting their abuse. I have been observing this pattern for most of my life. From early boarding school onwards.. What the evidence shows is less a matter of response and responsibility so much as reactionary protectionism.
Evidence that the culture of those who hold power over children is such that it will always seek to protect that power, status and image.  
Evidence that this culture of power will set that priority above the welfare of the children who were under their watch, the children who were harmed, who reported their abuse, and those who were silent.
If that priority stands above the social material welfare of the children, it stands over the social material welfare of our entire community.
That priority stands above the vulnerable within families and  community halls, within the Churches and Temples, within Police Stations, it stands over your local councillor and your local MP,  denial and dehumanisation is found written into so-called Sacred Texts and our News Entertainment Media, within Banks and Prisons and in many other areas of our institutional systems.

Where's our insurance policy to protect us from loss of power, loss of wealth and status?

Defend the Flag.  Protect the Power. 
Who will stand for the children, wading neck deep, against such a cold, cruel cultural tide?
We must give some serious thought as to what that really means.
"There are things that should happen in a child's life, and there are things that should not happen that do."

A child should never be exploited by anyone for sex, and when the child tries to reach out for help the child must be made safe from the predator, and child's case must be dealt with transparently, robustly to ensure future safety.
The consequences, of both the abuse and the malign cultural reaction of those in power to the abused, linger on and on, and on.
Every suicide of a neglected, abandoned child or an adult survivor is also a matter of social murder, murder by neglect. The Institutionalised neglect of duty of care.
Decades of psychological, emotional and physical distress, some of it passed through to the children of the survivors, in learned behaviour and many other ways too that cause harm to that generation. Without being resolved, the patterns and cycles of distress continue to play out. This social silence is a well of pain, and it must be drawn, and emptied.
The costs of child abuse are externalised by those who were and are in positions of trust, care and power over children. 
The lived experience costs - hundreds of thousands of distressed lives, if not millions. 
The social material costs of inadequate social and economic services support systems crisis managing that distress, only to exacerbate it.
Adults within a clearly defined structure and culture of power behave in this manner towards vulnerable distressed harmed children.

This is a cultural behavioural characteristic, not merely the malign influence of a few 'bad apples'.
This must stop. 
Today.
But here's the thing - it's not just about sexual abuse of children and vulnerable people. 
It is about the abuse of power by anyone in a position of power and dominance, and the cultural pattern of defence of that Power at all and any cost. Be it Blair or Putin, Savile or Epstein, Suella Braverman or Boris Johnson, be it Austerity or War, Fracking or maintaining poverty as a political and economic strategic necessity, the harmed are routinely ignored, their cases minimised.

What of the 204,000 deaths caused by pandemic mismanagement, the 330,000 deaths caused by the economic violence of Austerity? What of the voices, evidence, lived experience of all those closely connected to the deceased?

Child Sexual Abuse is a pattern of behaviour that tells us more about our society, our culture and our current condition than most will acknowledge. Some will try to weaponise CSA to distract, to make tribal political points.

I am saying that the abuse of children and the defence of institutional power are two defining cultural behavioural characteristic, and that culture is of one of power hierarchy, violence, wealth and warfare which currently afflict us all and it is profoundly unhealthy. 
Healthy governance requires we acknowledge this and then take intentional, determined and robust action to correct the situation.

All of us. Join the dots. Before it's yet again too late, already.




Kindest regards

Corneilius

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