Child Abuse
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THE Redress Board, which accepts its final compensation claims on Thursday, is "one of the greatest abuses perpetrated against the victims of sexual abuse in religious-run residential institutions," according to a top psychiatrist.
Dr Michael Corry, founder of the Institute of Psychosocial Medicine, said the Residential Institutions' Redress Board's stringent secrecy laws are causing huge psychological damage to victims.
He said: "One victim used this analogy; an adult abuses a child. It is their 'secret'. To make sure the 'secret' is kept, the adult will give the child money or sweets. They buy silence. By making secrecy a condition upon payment, the Board is doing exactly what an abuser does to a child."
Despite this, 100 people a day are applying for compensation before the deadline expires on Thursday. It is likely those seeking compensation will total 12,000 which would mean a total payout of €918m.
To receive their compensation, victims must sign a secrecy agreement promising never to reveal any details of their settlement. If they disclose the amount they can be fined up to €3,000 or jailed for six months. After a second disclosure, they face a fine of up to €25,000 and a two-year prison sentence.
Dr Corry said: "The secrecy is unconstitutional and does not protect the victims. In fact, the secrecy has allowed solicitors to exploit the most vulnerable.
"I have been to the Redress Board three times . . . I was not allowed to stay with my client and they were not allowed a friend or even their spouse present when the judge was questioning them."
The religious, who say they have been falsely accused of abuse, are equally concerned by the secrecy surrounding the Redress Board.
A spokesman for the charity 'Let Our Voices Emerge' said: "The Redress Board is answerable only to itself. The secrecy is a huge problem."