REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE “DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL ABUSE” FORUM ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MCALEESE AT THE “DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL ABUSE” FORUM ÁRAS AN UACHTARÁIN WEDNESDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2008
Dia dhíbh a chairde go léir agus fáílte chuig Áras an Uachtaráin inniu.
You are all very welcome to the Áras this morning and to this special forum as we shine a spotlight on a social evil in Irish society but even more importantly in Irish homes. Precisely because it is abusive behaviour within the family it has inevitably been often sheltered by taboo and secrecy. Little by little that secret world has been prised open in recent years, revealing a catalogue of misery and trauma much wider than physical or sexual abuse between partners or husband and wife but endemic violence that is often visited on the vulnerable elderly and on children, two groups who find it particularly difficult to speak up for themselves.
The published statistics tell shocking stories in themselves and what is very troubling is that this is an area in which we can expect very significant levels of under-reporting. The intimate relationships of power and dependency between abuser and abused contributed historically to a culture of silence and secrecy as did the once intervention-shy attitudes of the law, law enforcers and society in general.
But the 1970s brought a sharp focus on violence against women in the home and an opening up of that hermetically sealed space which is the home to greater public scrutiny. In the late 1980s and 1990s, litigation opened up to us the long, long hidden scandal of sexual and physical abuse of children in institutions and at the hands of predatory but trusted adults like teachers and priests. It is unlikely we will ever know the full extent of the suffering inflicted or its reach over generations but in this generation we have at least started the process of opening that ugly Pandora’s box.
A number of courageous men and women who were abused within their homes have, despite considerable familial neuralgia around the subject, given evidence in criminal cases which have put their tormentors behind bars. Persistent families and investigative journalists opened a harrowing window on abuse of elderly in nursing homes and helplines for the elderly also reveal their vulnerability to domestic violence. In fact the advent of helplines and support services for those affected by abuse has helped draw the stories out of that festering and oppressive silence and into the cold light of day.
Yet we know that many men, women and children suffer in awesome loneliness each day, their confidence undermined, their joy in life drained away, their lives wasted in the shadows of humiliation, fear, despair and isolation. We also know from their stories that no matter what a perpetrator of abuse or violence may believe these episodes are not simply once-off events without downstream consequences. They cut right through the jugular of human development, preventing children from developing and maturing emotionally and psychologically. They destroy trust, demolish hope and they leave a toxic legacy that can poison generation after generation.
Victims of domestic abuse need our encouragement as neighbours, friends and as community to one another, to move out of those cruel and cold shadows. What they are enduring is simply not acceptable. It is almost invariably serious criminal behaviour that is punishable. It is almost invariably bullying behaviour and it thrives, grows cocky and self-justifying on silence. This is poisonous behaviour that has to change and has to be helped to change. This is a story that has to change. This generation is much better placed to tackle this problem than any other for we are not as innocent or ignorant as were past generations. We are more righteously sceptical, more insistent on accountability, more rigorous in pursuit of the truth and in defence of the human rights of victims. The vanities of institutions or of familial relationships are much less likely to prevent us from probing behind the scenes. Our laws, social services, law enforcement agencies as well as our NGOs in this area have all undergone radical transformation in the sophistication of their endeavours over recent decades. As with many new areas of public concern, services often grew in a piecemeal fashion, responding under pressure and with limited resources to individual or particular aspects of the problem. Today we know the many benefits that come from ensuring that all those who share a common focus on this problem area are plugged into one another in the most effective and fluent ways. With such a common focus and a shared commitment to the same problem, there must be considerable scope for enhanced partnerships, joint research for effective as well as affective collegiality and mutuality across the spectrum of services and solutions.
In truth we are still only at the beginning of comprehending the extent of the problems, the causes and the consequences. Add in the growing, though long-standing problems of drug and alcohol abuse, of broken relationships and the economic tightening that we are now facing and we know domestic abuse is going to be a reality of life for a lot of people for today and tomorrow. Here at this forum we ask what we can do as a civic society, as a community to help further an ongoing national debate around domestic abuse and help turn the tide of this repulsive blight in our land, bringing reassurance and vindication to victims, bringing accountability and the opportunity to change to perpetrators.
In this room are people of great experience and expertise who can help us answer those urgent questions. You are all hugely welcome. This is a day for your voices, your ideas, your insights, your knowledge, your experiences. We are very grateful for your attendance and willingness to share at this forum. And I hope that those who are today suffering abuse or living in fear of abuse will see in this forum evidence of a society that values them, cares about them and wants their days of fear to end.
To get to that future we need good, caring and experienced guides like you. I wish you every success in your discussions today, and thank you all very much for coming.