Newspaper Articles
Personal Stories/OpinionsNewspaper Articles Archive sitemap privacy © 2003
Dear Paddy,
I approach your web site once again. For this matter I do so as I have always, with my best to represent a group of abused children. Those in the Irish state that I believe have always been over looked ill considered in legal judgements and under acknowledged in the question of inquiry or any terms to reform the Irish system and acknowledge their positions
By all records and meetings I have kept I state that we were one of the more overlooked and under represented in the terms of reference when decided for the inquiry. Simply we were excluded.
When Dr Michael Woods as Minister set the terms of reference to the inquiry, that no provision would be given to children who were abused in national schools run by catholic and state schools. He at that point refused, we made representation and the answer was clear. NO. A no representation needed.
The response to us was that we had our parents to go home to every day. Therefore the state was not responsible for any abuse committed to us. We were children who were abused daily in schools. This even though the perpetrator was a principle of a school financed and controlled through the department of education and a religious.
The reason we had our parents to return to daily insulted the fact that we were abused by paedophiles. These who worked for and cared not by the control of my parents but by that they we all expected as to be equal children cared for. During my abuse my brother died of cancer, I was 7 and he 9.
I ask you where does blame become my parents, and in the name of God for what would you appropriate that they were incorrect in there trust at their time of desperate sadness in loosing their son. Theirs was to believe in a Christian brother who was principle to their children at school.
In a recent Irish case it was challenged that the state or those appointed had a further responsibility of care to those who were previously excluded by age.
Simply therefore if the terms of reference is open please challenge it, this for those in this circumstance, and that of mine and ours. The official terms of reference should now include all abused. Abuse is abuse is abuse.
I would ask that any other victims who read this please realise this is not me making a plea but making a statement.
Kind Thanks - Derek Power - Email the Writer