Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this issue. I regret we could not address the Ryan report in the format originally proposed yesterday. The postponement of the discussion from yesterday's business was regrettable because it served to render the victims of abuse once again in doubt as to this House's commitment to them. Let me state irrevocably, nothing could be further from the truth.

I am glad of the opportunity to discuss this issue because this report and scandal are a cancerous stain on Ireland's history. I join with the Taoiseach and the Deputies from both sides who spoke already in expressing my distress at the contents of this report and the unimaginable pain inflicted upon hundreds of children. I welcome the Taoiseach's and the Government's unqualified apology. As a Deputy, I wish to add my apologies to all the victims, especially any who currently reside in north Dublin.

A gesture must be made on behalf of all the Deputies and citizens of the State, a gesture that will illustrate for the survivors of abuse the depths of remorse and sadness we all feel for what has happened to them. The idea of a memorial as first mooted first by former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, could be a good way to illustrate the Government's further intention. A memorial would also allow the public to remember those victims who have since died through suicide or ill-health. It would forever remind us that, alive or dead, these people's lives were over on the day they were dragged into these institutions. However, the State's repentance must not stop at a memorial. Victims must know that the State will use every facility at its disposal to seek full justice for them.

Much has been made of the role of money in this whole process and in the original indemnity agreement reached following the establishment of the redress scheme. I do not believe that the 253 people who gave evidence to the redress scheme's confidential committee were motivated by money. To accuse victims of this now is to once again rob them of their dignity. In approaching the redress board, victims, above anything else, were looking for acknowledgement of their experience. There is no doubt the payment of monetary compensation was a helpful aid in the course of their lives, but I believe that first and foremost in the minds of survivors is relief that their experiences have now been laid at the feet of the religious orders.

This is not to say that the various orders involved in this appalling abuse should not continue to pay in financial terms for the crimes for which they are responsible. The State must continue to pursue the orders to seek more funding for it to use as it sees fit to help survivors. I welcome the idea of the establishment of a trust which will administer any funds recovered from the congregations. In addition, the State must and will continue to consult with survivors, who know more than anyone how best any additional funds can help them.

Once an assessment is made of the orders' assets, we must move quickly to determine what amount will be sought from them. We must pursue the orders through the correct channels and due process must be undergone. However, this should all be done while conscious of the struggle in which every survivor of institutional abuse is engaged every day. Simply put, we need to deal with this swiftly and satisfactorily, so that these people can get on with their lives in the full knowledge that every single option was explored and exploited for their benefit, to make up for what happened to them.

We need to move past apologies and quickly start making amends. So where do we go from here? The option is open to provide more compensation to victims. Funding should also be funnelled into a counselling service that is completely separate from the religious orders where survivors can be provided with unconditional support. We cannot imagine the litany of mental health problems with which these brave people have been left. Survivors were also left with a litany of physical complaints, arising directly and indirectly from their abuse, such as alcoholism, drug abuse etc. Funding could also be ring-fenced to provide general medical support for these complaints.

A major concern I have, which not been given much mention, is the new generation of people who have been indirectly affected by the vicious abuse suffered by survivors. I speak of the children of the children whose lives were ruined in the hallways of these institutions and schools. The children of survivors have also lived under the shadow of abuse that took place in Artane and Daingean etc. and it is naive to imagine that these children have not also been affected and damaged by the abuse suffered by their parents. Similar services should be offered to them.

Constructive services, such as literacy programmes and educational opportunities, should be offered to those whose education was crippled by the abuse they suffered. Every effort should be made to provide them with the opportunities of which they were robbed. Furthermore, we must reach out to those who have emigrated because the pain of remaining in this State is too painful. These people are living out their lives in agony in foreign lands, having been tormented throughout their childhoods.

We must also channel resources into ensuring that abuse of this level, or any level, should never be inflicted upon or suffered by our children again. I am assured that the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, is working hard to reform our child welfare and protection system. I welcome the intention to ensure the uniform application throughout the State of Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children 1999. Could I suggest any additional resources contributed by the orders be put towards the cause of ensuring this does not happen again? Perhaps the State could use these resources to provide an after-hours mental health service.

For my education, I was fortunate to be a day pupil at St. Vincent's CBS in Glasnevin, Dublin 9. There I was gifted with a wonderful education, a love of sports, in particular hurling and Gaelic football, and a healthy respect for men and women of the cloth. Since the publication of the Ryan report, I have searched my memory for any hints of abuse during my time in St. Vincent's. Like many of us who were taught at religious schools, I feel the inevitable guilt that I was not aware of, and therefore could not stop, any abuse which may have been suffered there. I comfort myself by remembering the decent and honest men who taught me and I pray to this day, that no abuse was conducted there. We will know, I suppose, if this is the case only in the fullness of time.

We must spare a thought for the many teaching clerics who have dedicated their lives to the education of Irish children, as well the priests and nuns working in the community today. I can only imagine that their disgust and shame mirrors that of every citizen in Ireland. As I stood yesterday in Molesworth Street among those who were marching in solidarity with the victims of this abuse, it struck me that any future contribution made by the religious orders must extend further than mere monetary terms.

Deputy Shatter was correct in suggesting that the orders must, without hesitation, submit all documentation to gardaí who are investigating these matters. The orders should not be concerned with issues of confidentiality and privacy. Their priority should be identical to that of this Government, justice for victims.

There is a moral obligation on the orders to be submissive to the State in this matter. The State, in turn, must use every tool at its disposal to bring to justice the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. As Deputy Beverley Flynn said earlier, neither age nor incapacity should protect abusers from being prosecuted and challenged. They have not been challenged to date. Quite the opposite, they were closeted and protected by their orders. On their actions becoming known, instead of informing the Garda and the Department of Education of cases of abuse, abusers were instead shuffled from school to institution and back again so their actions could remain undetected. They and their actions were hidden.

As Deputy Higgins stated passionately, there was a huge level of collusion perpetrated by the congregations and, to a certain extent, by the contemporary courts. There is evidence of institutions contacting judges to appeal to them to send children their way, so they could avail of the capitation funding available. Children were put to work mending shoes and doing laundry, often at the expense of their education. This was child labour and while orders may in some cases deny knowledge of abuse, they certainly made money off these children. It is time for them to pay up.

It offends me that the orders' initial reaction to the Ryan report was to close ranks, defending themselves and hiding behind the indemnity agreement. Like everyone else, I listened to the radio throughout the day many orders announced their intention to co-operate with the Government. As the stubborn resolve of religious order after religious order crumbled that afternoon, it occurred to me that the congregations could have done this earlier. What had they to gain by holding back their contrition? My disgust at the congregations' defensiveness was second only to my disgust at their actions. The attitude displayed in the aftermath of the report's publication has resulted in a new wave of disrespect among a generation of people for whom the institutional abuse was previously an abstract idea.

Similarly, co-operation must be given in the provision of documents to victims who remain uncertain about their family histories. It is difficult to imagine that there remain individuals who are unaware of basic information in relation to their families, their siblings' fates or their own place of birth.

I want to echo the Taoiseach's comments in relation to Mr. Justice Ryan. He has done the victims of abuse a great service. He and his teams need to be thanked, as do those who came forward to tell of their experiences. Mr. Justice Ryan has opened up this torrid history, not only to millions of Irish people but also to billions of people across the world. The ramifications of the Ryan report will be far reaching. Never again will the public doubt or deny the claims of victims of abuse. All preconceptions about the behaviour of those responsible for the care of children have been challenged and a new level of awareness of the potential for abuse has been adopted by our population.

I urge every citizen to cease trying to imagine the various acts of physical and sexual abuse inflicted on these children. Instead, I ask that everyone reflect on the idea that many of the victims mentioned in their evidence the "kindness" bestowed upon them by certain nuns and priests. This kindness did not come in the form of an innocent cuddle or a supportive chat. The kindness to which these children looked forward was not being beaten to a pulp, not being touched or not being left out in the snow and hosed down with freezing water. For them, kindness meant not being touched, just for one day. I find this idea more distressing than I can say and I remain thankful that my time with the brothers was one of innocence.

I will conclude by reading a poem written by an anonymous abuse victim under the pseudonym Jaker Ray, of Dundalk. The Story of Me and Many More, A Child After the Before. I am the day - whose light will not bright I am the night - whose darkness will not light I am the tree - whose root is dead I am the flower - without a head I am the fish - whose fins will not breathe I am the bird - who will not eat seed I am the scab - that just will not heal I am the neural - that just cannot feel I am a smile - that remains frozen I am a choice - that horror had chosen I am a year - without a season I am a reason - without a reason I am a whisper - that cannot vibrate I am a scream - that cannot migrate I am a prison - whose cell will not open I am the cell - where inside it is so choking I am a house - that has no foundation I am a country - without a nation I am the hell - that is my centre I am the heaven - that has no banter I am Christmas - without its infant I am a gift box - without its present I am the present - that is now past I am the past - that is now present I am a heart - without a soul I am the secret - never told I was lost - could not be found I was frightened - no solace around I am a curse - no man can swear I am the abused - no one was there I done no crime - I served a dictum I done no wrong - I am a victim I was the wrong - that never was right I was defenceless - I could not fight I was that child - who was un-nurtured I am the man - who is still tortured I was a brain - with little education I was a being - with little validation I am the love - that suffered rejection I am a failure - under closer inspection I am a tear - that does not cry I am laughter - that does not fly I am a face - that puts on a show I am a body - I prefer no one to know I have a secret - I have to hide I am an expert - at all this and besides I am A past child abused - a man confused Just one of many - that were used To those of you - who escaped this ordeal If you were I - this is how it would feel I was a happy child - once before Till he took me behind "closed doors" Scared me into keeping our secret What he had done - to me in secret Since than I just gave up hoping That life's door would ever again open I am young - or I could be very old I am but one - of this story told Yes see, I was a child abused & that's a title I didn't choose & the man I walk around as today Still hides his BIG secret away In the recesses - of his being Where it will be - never seen Even if you get near me, real close You'd never guess, I was a victim of "Child Abuse" But like many more - I am and I was Inflicted with this life virus - this curse And there's no disease in life that's worse Than being a victim of "Child Abuse" PS Can I point out, just about here, that I really died in my ELEVENTH year! (RIP)

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