I spent this morning in Banbridge Court House listening to witness testimony at the Historic Institutional Abuse inquiry. This article below gives a sense - but, understandably, not all of the detail - of the allegations of depravity being made against Brothers of the De La Salle order, who ran the home under the authority of the Diocese of Down & Connor. To be honest, after all these years working for Amnesty, I think Im pretty hardened to stories of suffering by now. But the allegation about the use of cattle crush farm equipment to cage a boy (the second witness today) before he was raped, shocked me to the core. It was harrowing enough hearing about the abuse today - imagine living it as a boy, abandoned in this care home. I have so much admiration for the courageous victims of this abuse who have felt able to come forward to tell their stories. Im also proud that Amnesty was able to stand with them to press for the Inquiry to be set up in the first place. As one of the seventy year-olds said today in the witness box, when asked if he had any recommendations for the inquiry panel: we just dont want this to happen to any other young fellas, any other children.
Posted on: Mon, 06 Oct 2014 19:34:38 +0000
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