Listen to the victims of abuse

Editorial Department • Published 10 Sep 2010 09:00 0 Comments

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There has been much talk in recent years that in dealing with Northern Ireland’s past, we should listen to the victims. And rightly so.

In this context, we automatically think of the people who suffered injury or were bereaved in our political “Troubles”.

But this country has many other victims; including many many people who have suffered sexual abuse. It has been a blot on our society which has not been talked about until recently. Indeed, there are even people today who don’t like to see it reported and are in denial that it is so prevalent.

But talk about it we must, and however painful it is, this newspaper will continue to highlight the abusers -- however long it takes to bring them to justice.

This week, one man who was abused has written articulately and eloquently about his experiences. It is an article (on page 3) that is without malice, and he is the type of victim we should be listening to if we want to eliminate as far as possible this scourge from our society.

Our silence will not remove it.

The victim, known as Martin, refers to the recent high profile case of the McDermott brothers and points out that this case is far from unique.

Martin says: “I was born in the sixties and was a teenager during the Troubles and suffered serious mental, physical and sexual abuse.”

He also says: “Mental, physical and sexual abuse of children is prevalent in every town and village in Ireland and United Kingdom going back for generations.”

Do not those two sentences alone ring the alarm bells loudly for society?

He points out that governing bodies cannot fail to recognise the need to invest adequately in protecting vulnerable children; and the present financial pressure is putting that at risk.

He also reveals some shocking figures for abuse cases in the Western area.

Read the article and by the end of it you will surely agree with Martin’s assertion: “If another tragedy like Donagh is to be avoided, policy must not only change but also reflect the lessons to be learnt from the past.”

Let’s listen to the victims.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 09 Sep 10

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