On Tuesday, it was disclosed to a government-initiated investigation that a staggering 2,400 accusations of sexual misconduct in 308 religious-operated educational institutions have come to light, spanning over the course of three decades. The preliminary investigation’s report shed light on a systematic abusive culture thriving in religious-managed day and boarding schools scattered across the country.
A total number of 2,395 claims of abuse were lodged against 884 individuals. The report revealed that less than half of the persons accused are still alive. It came to light that special education schools formed a significant portion of the recorded accusations, with 590 complaints originating from 17 facilities, citing 190 alleged culprits.
Feel free to share your perspective if you were a student of any of the religious schools mentioned in the preliminary investigation’s report on alleged abuse. The well-documented maltreatment at the Brothers of Charity school was once epitomised as ‘ very close to enduring crucifixion’.
The sorrow expressed by the religious orders is deemed as mere ’empty words’ if actions for redress and funding are not taken promptly, according to Harris.
In an inquiry, those affected spoke about how such abuse sparked “emotions of guilt, accountability, solitude, helplessness and confidentiality.” Most reported abuse incidents were between the early 1960s and early 1990s, peaking in numbers between early to mid-1970s. Respondents described experiences of being “assaulted, undressed, violated and sedated amidst an environment of fear and silence”, according to several reports.
If you’ve been a student in any of the religious institutions mentioned in the list above and wish to share your experiences or feelings in light of these shocking revelations, feel free to do so using the form provided below.
We will use some responses in an upcoming article. While you may wish to remain unnamed in the article, please provide your name and contact number confidentially for verification purposes.