The Irish Times has today published a significant and moving report, containing the testimonies of people who suffered physical abuse in schools.
The following is a statement on this matter, a portion of which had been provided to the journalist, Ms Kitty Holland, as part of her preparation for her piece:
Speaking on behalf of the Catholic Education Partnership, chief executive Mr Alan Hynes, said, “Of all the welcome changes within Irish society in general, and within the education sphere in particular, the Catholic Education Partnership recognises the abolition of corporal punishment as among the most significant. What was once viewed as normal is now thankfully inconceivable as an acceptable practice.
“It is important to acknowledge that even within the context of what was historically considered acceptable forms of punishment, many teachers, clerical, religious and lay, went far beyond that, inflicting violence on children and teenagers that caused considerable harm, in some serious cases harm that persisted for a life time. Compounding this harm, these abuses often had a socio-economic element to them, for groups such as members of the Traveller community who especially suffered from such egregious behaviour.
“The Catholic education sector sincerely apologises to those who as children suffered violence against them, and to those children that witnessed such violence. In addition, this was not only an abject failure of Christian values but also of the true purpose of education itself.
“Many journalists and campaigners have over the decades brought attention to this dark time of our treatment of children. This is a past we share with a great many societies and one that is still a present cause of suffering to children in some countries. Those who campaigned against corporal punishment ranged from liberal secularists like Senator Owen Sheehy-Skeffington to prominent Catholics such as Dr Cyril Daly. The latter grounded many of his arguments in Church teaching, facing opposition from clergy and religious, and from many politicians and teacher trade unions. A debt of gratitude is owed to them, and to many other men and women, for their courage and perseverance in the face of strong and often personalised opposition.
“The time to make an honest reckoning with this aspect of our past is long overdue and is owed to the victims and survivors of such abuses. The Church and the Catholic education sector are committed to working in cooperation with other education bodies, trade unions, and the Department of Education in coming to an honest appraisal of our individual and collective roles in this sombre chapter from our past.”