Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I regret that any of us have to talk about a commission to inquire into child abuse. None of us would have wanted to stand over any regime, particularly State institutions, that would have facilitated people to abuse children sexually, physically, psychologically or emotionally. The key form of abuse that comes to mind is sexual abuse but that is not the only form of abuse.

I have asked a number of times in this House for a debate on bullying and abuse in the workplace. Bullying is not a behaviour perpetrated solely by children but if an innocent person is accused of bullying that is one of the worst things that can happen. There have been situations where people have had their lives devastated by claims of abuse and, after years during which their lives were destroyed, those who made the claims withdrew them and revealed that they were invented.

However, despite these caveats I believe that sexual abuse, in particular, is as bad as murder. Those who commit sexual abuse on children damage those children for the rest of their lives. An abused child is never the same child afterwards and will not become the adult that he or she would have been had it not been for the interference. It may sound strange to say that murder is equal to abuse, but if the child were dead he or she would not have to endure the memories and the difficulties caused by the abuse. Physical, psychological and emotional abuse have serious implications as well.

I agree with Senator Quinn about putting time limits in place. I have never known a tribunal that had time limits, or one that finished its work on time, yet we should aspire to keep within such limits where possible. I am not against the suggestion of an additional eight months in the present situation. In 2000, the inquiry was to have been a two-year process. In 2002, another three year extension brought it to 2005 and a further three have brought it to the present. We would like to think that the eight month extension is the last. I say this because the people involved are not as young as they were. It is important for them to have taken their courage in their hands and to re-live their experiences. While the process has been private, the recommendations and the publication of the report will once again open up a great deal of the past for them. It has taken much bravery for people to come forward and over 1,090 have done so.

There are two aspects to consider. One is that there are people who wish to tell their story but do not want it to go further. The other concerns those who come forward in order that issues be dealt with. When we consider the numbers involved it is easy to understand why it has taken so long to get to where we are now. The fact is that those people have had the opportunity to come forward, whether for the full hearings, as 252 people did, or the 545 who spoke to junior counsel or the 41 who presented by interview and full hearing. It is an enormous volume of work and has involved different Departments.

For some people, the sympathetic or empathetic ear has been important and it is what they sought. I believe that the most important thing is the lessons we have learned. We must understand that such abuse is potentially still going on, as go on it must, when we consider what life is like today. People are working and must leave their children, who, as latchkey children must fend for themselves. It is not necessarily the fault of parents who may be trying to pay their mortgage. There is so much going on, including the pace of life, a new society, people coming from different cultural backgrounds who have different understandings of how to discipline children, some of which we do not accept. We must show people from other locations that our forms of corporal punishment have disappeared. I speak as somebody who was in Nigeria for a year, and I remember some cultural traits. Certain groups of people there branded their children at birth, actually slit them, to show to which tribe they belonged. Those are the kinds of issues to be addressed. We do not have to go into the issue of female genital mutilation. Multi-culturalism is fine, but as long as people from different cultures are living here we must put forward our views on how we expect children to be looked after and respected.

I refer to some issues that were brought up in the Dáil and I know they will be discussed in this House also. One in four teachers in primary schools have made disclosures about or allegations of abuse to the HSE and we have heard how that organisation has been able to deal with that situation. When people present as potential suicide risks I believe it must be borne in mind that in the past some suicides occurred because of previous abuse. I do not put every such person in the same category. When a teacher or a person in any responsible role comes forward and identifies an issue it is critically important there is someone available to take up the mantle and deal with the problem.

My next comment may be considered a sexist one. Deputy Alan Shatter, a member of the other House, observed that more than 150 social workers in the child care services of the HSE are currently on some form of leave, many on maternity leave. Far be it for me, as a female, to raise this issue but it is important and pertinent to consider what occurs with numbers of people working in different sectors, whether they be gardaí, health or any other professionals. If a female garda is pregnant, she is on desk duty for the greater part of nine months and is then on maternity leave. That amounts to a year, possibly 18 months, where the worker, statistically speaking, is present but in reality is not. Some 150 social workers are on leave, though not necessarily on maternity leave. We must look at the statistics of people actually in work, not merely those who are paid for work. We should continue to increase the numbers and take into consideration the issue of gender, because in any given profession a certain number of people will be off work for the most justifiable and normal reasons.