Dublin People
May 28, 2009
http://www.dublinpeople.com/content/view/1968/57/
A NORTHSIDE man has told of the most humiliating experience of his life when he had to search for another victim of sexual abuse to make his case against a Christian Brother stronger in court.
Damian O'Farrell, from Marino, spoke to Northside People about his horrific childhood abuse by a Christian Brother following the publication last week of the report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse that shocked the nation.
Mr O'Farrell, who will contest the Clontarf ward in the local elections as an Independent candidate, has come forward to speak out against the injustice he and many others suffered at Northside schools.
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Mr O'Farrell said he was abused at a North Dublin school when he was just 12-years-old.
He now works alongside other victims of abuse, offering them advice and acting as an advocate for their rights.
"I remember at the time not telling anyone and trying to avoid being alone with the perpetrator," he told Northside People.
"Years later I discovered that this man was teaching in a local school so I wrote to the Province leader of the Christian Brothers who assured me the matter would be looked after.
"One and a half years later I found out he was still teaching so I contacted both the school and the gardai."
Mr O'Farrell explained the ordeal he was forced to endure when the teacher denied the charges and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) instructed that no charges would be brought.
"The most humiliating experience of my adult life involved my search for another victim to make the case stronger," he stated.
"I knocked on former schoolmates' doors in the evenings and was often left to speak on their doorsteps.
"Although I did discover other victims, only one was willing to come forward. Eventually the perpetrator pleaded guilty at trial.
"During this whole time, three years since I made first contact with the authorities, my abuser was still teaching children.
"He was convicted of sexually abusing two children but had been allowed to teach classes of 30 in a school of over 400 pupils.
"The rights of children were always secondary as their parents were never informed."
Mr O'Farrell said he never received an apology from his abuser and claimed that senior Christian Brothers treated him in a very hostile manner.
He now acts as an advocate for the rights of people who have suffered abuse, offering advice from lessons he learned the hard way in his dealings with the Christian Brothers.
"My main recommendation in dealing with the Christian Brothers is that their victims should go to the gardai with any allegations of abuse," stated Mr O'Farrell.
"I found the gardai to be excellent and very supportive throughout the entire process.
"I contacted many organisations including the Department of Education and the National Parents' Council to highlight the anomalies I encountered to ensure they don't happen again.
"My own case has helped to strengthen the rights of children in the classroom but there is still a long way to go yet.
"Now I am able to advise people how to go about reporting abuse.
"I have worked out ways they can ask old schoolmates if they suffered the same abuse without having to suffer the embarrassment I did."
If elected to Dublin City Council, Mr O'Farrell has vowed to take strong positions on protecting children and victims of abuse.
He also pointed out that he will be an advocate for victims of abuse regardless of whether he is elected or not.
Meanwhile, Mr O'Farrell said the findings of last week's report are not surprising to him, based on his own experiences.
"I don't think about the man who abused me at all but I feel the leadership of the Christian Brothers have let me down," he added.
"They have let the victims down and let their fellow Brothers down, among whom I still have some friends.
"The non-co-operation reported last week is not one bit surprising to me as I flagged it 12 years ago."
Mr O'Farrell is currently canvassing for the local elections on June 5 where Finian McGrath TD (Ind) is backing his campaign.
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