Defending charity Love
Added on January 6, 2006Friday January 6th 2006
Sir - I refer to the article by Fergus Black (January 4). The Charity Let Our Voices Emerge (Love) was NOT set up to defend the reputation of industrial schools. It was set up to defend religious and lay people who ran the institutions.
Former victims of these institutions, who had serious complaints about some religious and lay people who ran them, found every avenue closed to them over the years.
The agreement made by the religious and the Government further robbed us of ever being able to reach the truth. It was and is a most shameful act. It protected many who abused their positions, while allowing others to claim all manner of abuses against them.
We have heard much about underfeeding, understaffing and lack of qualifications among religious and staff in these institutions.
There may have been all that. Looking at these institutions with a child's eyes I can see only abuse, hunger, cold, fear, bullying and punishment that haunts me to this day.
Let me remind myself again why the Charity Love was formed!
Tom Hayes,
Castle Gardens,
Richhill,
Co Armagh
? Irish Independent
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/ & http://www.unison.ie/