IRELAND
Irish Independent
John Gallagher
PUBLISHED 16/11/2014
Audrey Carvill’s interview with Mairia Cahill on Morning Ireland last Thursday concluded with a question which insinuated that Mairia was being used by the other political parties to attack Sinn Fein. While Mairia answered strongly, the question was then repeated in even more blunt and unsympathetic terms.
In the past, victims of abuse by church institutions were never confronted by RTE on air in this way. It was never put to them that they were being used by political parties or anybody else. The completely opposite approach was taken, of facilitating and encouraging them to speak out. RTE did everything possible, notably through the work of the late Mary Raftery, to encourage victims to come forward and tell their stories.
Just as in the case of clerical child sex abuse, there are indications that many, many others have suffered abuse at the hands of the same kind of people who abused Mairia Cahill. The Morning Ireland interview effectively told them “if, having being abused, you come forward, your alleged helpers will also use/abuse you”.
This will be particularly distressing for victims thinking of speaking out, because having trust in anyone afterwards is perhaps the biggest single issue for those who have suffered serious abuse.
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