Derry and Belfast 1950s to the 1990s: A state inquiry found systemic abuse in the homes of the Sisters of Nazareth, including sexual abuse by priests

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

1. For St Joseph's Home in Termonbacca (Derry) the inquiry found that individual sisters engaged in improper sexual or physical behaviour towards children; so did other adults, employees, visitors and priests, as well as older children. Sisters and their superiors knew of this, took no or inadequate steps to prevent it and reported the abuse neither to social services nor to police. Nazareth House in Bishop Street, Derry, accommodated 2,347 children in about a century; there too the inquiry found sexual abuse by a visitor and by priests, of which the sisters knew without taking any steps. At Termonbacca it found no systemic neglect.
   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 103 (1)

   „We are satisfied that there was abuse in the form of improper sexual or physical behaviour by individual sisters towards children in their care.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 103 (2)

   „We are satisfied that there was abuse in the form of improper sexual or physical behaviour by other adults, employees, visitors and priests towards children in the care of the Sisters of Nazareth.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 103 (8)

   „We are satisfied that no, or alternatively inadequate, steps were taken by the Sisters of Nazareth to prevent such abuse.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 103 (9)

   „did not take proper steps to report such abuse to the relevant civil authorities, namely social services and the police“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 104

   „it seems that 2,347 children were accommodated in Bishop Street during its existence of approximately a century“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 140 (2)

   „We are satisfied that there was abuse in the form of improper sexual behaviour by a visitor and by priests towards children in the care of the Sisters.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 140 (5)

   „took no steps to prevent such abuse“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 5, Abs. 103 (6)

   „Although there is evidence of poor childcare in some respects, we consider this did not amount to systemic neglect.“

What happened to those affected?

1. In the girls' home Nazareth House in Belfast the inquiry found systemic abuse in: excessive chores for the girls, infrequent changing of bath water, cleaning teeth with carbolic soap, disinfectant (Jeyes fluid) in the bath, rough treatment when bathing, punishment of bedwetters, poor nursing of sick children up to physical abuse, confiscating personal possessions and public corporal punishment in the 1950s. Physical abuse by staff and emotional abuse were systemic.
   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 8, Abs. 245 (a)

   „in our view the excessive chores expected of the girls constituted systemic abuse“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 8, Abs. 245 (b)

   „The infrequency of changing bath water, the use of carbolic soap to clean teeth, the use of Jeyes fluid in the bath, the rough treatment when bathing and the queuing were outdated institutional practices“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 8, Abs. 245 (c)

   „the measures would have been ineffective in dealing with enuresis and constituted very poor childcare practice, amounting to systemic abuse“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 8, Abs. 245 (d)

   „the physical abuse on some occasions, and the lack of loving care for children who were unwell. This amounted to systemic abuse.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 8, Abs. 245 (e)

   „There was no valid childcare justification for confiscating the children’s personal possessions, and this constituted systemic abuse.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 8, Abs. 245 (g)

   „The public corporal punishments inflicted in the 1950s constituted systemic abuse.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 8, Abs. 245 (h)

   „indicate that the physical abuse practised by the staff was systemic“

2. In the boys' home Nazareth Lodge in Belfast the inquiry found as systemic abuse: one sister's cruel conduct towards bedwetting boys, force-feeding, disinfectant in baths and hair washing, and physical abuse by sisters and staff so extensive that it created a punitive atmosphere. Several former residents said they had gone hungry; one boy scavenged potato peel from the dustbin, and a girl was force-fed food two or three days old as late as 1977. Older "charge boys" had to control the younger ones without the sisters' supervision, which led to the most serious bullying and increased the opportunities for sexual abuse.
   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 9, Abs. 363 (c)

   „There was no justification for SR 118’s cruel conduct in dealing with enuretic boys, which amounted to systemic abuse.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 9, Abs. 363 (d)

   „We accept that force-feeding took place and it constituted systemic abuse.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 9, Abs. 363 (g)

   „was so extensive that it created a punitive atmosphere“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 9, Abs. 72

   „HIA 408 said the boys had steamed potatoes, and that they scavenged peel from the dustbin.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 9, Abs. 74

   „she was force-fed when the food was two or three days old“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 9, Abs. 363 (i)

   „It was the use of charge boys to supervise younger boys in the absence of the sisters which predictably led to the most serious bullying.“

   Evidence: Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, Northern Ireland, Kap. 9, Abs. 363 (j)

   „the opportunities for sexual abuse were increased, and this amounted to systemic abuse“