Survivors of alleged abuse at religious-run schools ‘left Ireland’ to forget trauma

Victims of alleged abuse at religious-run schools in Ireland said it ‘ended their childhood’PA

Transcript

00:00Participants in the inquiry told us that it led to the premature end of their childhood.

00:09It affected their academic performance in school.

00:14It caused mental health issues and the use of alcohol or drugs to numb painful feelings.

00:20It damaged survivors' relationships with their family and even their own children.

00:26Some survivors were unable to visit their parents' graves because their abuser was

00:31buried nearby in a plot in the same graveyard.

00:36Some survivors said they left Ireland specifically to get away from memories of sexual abuse.