Allegations of Abuse
In the late 1980s, allegations of abuse and cruelty were made against the Christian Brothers by former students and residents of various institutions run by the order, including Clontarf. An organisation named VOICES (Victims of Institutionalised Cruelty, Exploitation and Supporters) was established to represent and provide counselling for those who had experienced abuse at the Christian Brothers’ orphanages.
Brother Paul Keaney in particular was named as an instigator of the cruelty and abuse.
The Christian Brothers accepted that there was strong evidence that many of the allegations were true, and made a public apology. A legal action brought by over 200 former students ran from 1993 in the New South Wales Supreme Court and was finalised in 1996 with an out of court settlement.
Read more about this topic: Clontarf Aboriginal College
Famous quotes containing the word abuse:
“But I’ve heard mankind abuse thee;
And perhaps it’s rather strange,
But I thought that I would choose thee
For encomium, as a change.”
—Charles Stuart Calverley (1831–1884)