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"LOVE was founded in 2003 by ex inmates of the Irish Industrial schools so that justice would prevail for religious and indeed others that worked in the homes - who were being vilified in the media as child abusers. We from the Institutions surged forward to involve our selves in the Church/State battle on who was to blame if anyone, for the horrific conditions some, not all schools were run in. Obviously, given the present mis management of our State departments in our hospitals, and schools is it that difficult to realize the Industrial schools were badly funded, under resourced, and any improvements/ comforts obtained for the children, was done so by the fact that Religious orders bent over backwards to ensure the draconian system had some levity for us.
All victims stories, such as 'Kathy's Story', 'Dear Daughter', 'Suffer the Little Children' etc, were being accepted as fact with little examination of any relevant evidence.
While it was obvious some abuse did occur, the hysterical ranting of some survivors, and fainting in front of the T.V. cameras had me intrigued.
The almost continual media industrial schools were getting was getting to the stage that I couldn't even listen to the subject matter. The image of toddlers screaming at top volume incessantly came to mind. Was that not more than enough done for them? money, apologies, the free run to viciously bite the hands of those who had given so much of themselves to make up for what their very own families denied them.
I vaguely remember hearing the stories, and at the time, around 96 feeling so sad for those children of the past who suffered so much. I being lucky enough not to have endured beatings, starvation or any other such abuse in the Home I'd been placed in. If those Christian Brothers and nuns had abused children, age should be no defence, lock them up, throw away the key, and make them suffer in their defenceless old age, as they made defenceless children suffer in the past.
Then, as time went on, and the stories got worse, more exposure ensured anyone in the Religious Orders who worked in the Homes were seen as child abusers my antennae started to twitch, and instinct took over. Something wasn't right, with my limited knowledge of anyone else's experience; I started to watch the situation more closely.
Was it only those who suffered abuse from the Institutions who reacted in such a way? If not, and all abused had this reaction, why weren't men and women fainting and screaming all over the country. Indeed, why were those abused by their own families out demanding justice also, and collapsing under the sheer horror of it all? No not only abuse fatigue, but abuse scepticism began to set in big time.
Two things did it for me eventually! A photograph in a national broadsheet of two tiny elderly nuns passing a crowd of Abuse Victim Supporters. One fine big bullock of a man - bouncer type - wielding a placard with child abusers in their faces. My temper started to rise then, but went totally into orbit when I learned of a nun close to me who slaved in such an Institution being under allegation.
I've always been into human rights from a very young age, fifteen or sixteen max. The influence of Sr Sarah Clarke, a relation, coming home on holidays and ranting about miscarriages of justice, the Birmingham Six, Guildford Four, Annie McGuire and the British Government showed me what one person with the courage of conviction, the strength of anger, and a dislike of injustice could do.
Some work with the Irish Campaign for Prisoners Overseas (ICPO), was followed (thanks to a career in nursing), by the co founding of "A Nurse for Daniel", home nursing for terminally ill children, and a succession of other human rights groups, all combined to give me enough knowledge of how the media worked, to be able to talk to the right journalist in the right paper, to bring out my own story of being in an Industrial school, and remembering it only as a refuge for the subsequent abuse I was to undergo when returned at five years old to my parents.
Others from such Industrial schools as Goldenbridge, Josephs in Kilkenny, Artane, and many more made contact and in 2003 we decided to form a cohesive group "Let Our Voices Emerge", to collectively bring out the full story of the Institutions.
We revealed, we fought, and we challenged!
Being from the Institutions, we could say what no journalist, member of the Religious orders or member of the public would dare say, that there were false and fraudulent allegations of abuse being made for financial gain or celebrity victim status. We revealed the fact that the Irish Institutions receives almost a third of the sum of money given to the U.K Homes. We also have seen in the past few years where one of the leading spokespersons for an Irish Victim Support Group had a file sent to him by the Clondalkin Gardaí with a large number of charges relating to false allegations of abuse in Artane. We have had people come forward admitting they made fraudulent allegations, we have had priests proven by our court system to have been the subject of blackmail under threat of abuse allegations.
We are now happy that our intervention in a sea of madness, driven by litigation and easy money, was necessary and made a difference. The Ryan Commission, we are convinced, will have seen through the smoke and the untruths - and hopefully we will have a balanced and just report to end an era when sadly truth went missing for the greater part.
We now feel it's time for us having made our point so successfully, to disband and move on with our lives. Our carers know they're supported, they Irish public have been given the chance to hear the full story, and we can now do no more. The findings of the Ryan Commission will come too late for all of those Institutions and religious personnel accused in the RIRB. The money now spent will burn holes of guilt through many pockets.
For us to carry on would be a pointless waste of energy and resources. Life is for living in the future, not being pulled back into the poisoned memories of so many people who believe just because they were in an Institution, life owes them something.
As for me, who knows? A return to domestic blitz and marital harmony with my long suffering but ever-patient husband and four children, or a journey down some other road less traveled. Only time will tell.
Florence Horsman Hogan,