Sisters of Nazareth to pay abuse victims £6m
Children in nuns’ care suffered ‘utmost depravity’
A CATHOLIC order whose nuns subjected children in their care to the ‘utmost depravity’ is to pay almost £6million to victims.
The Sisters of Nazareth (SoN) were shamed at a statutory inquiry which uncovered a catalogue of abuse.
Scottish ministers have set up a redress fund which will be paid for by taxpayers and the organisations responsible for historic abuse.
It was launched in December but the SoN has been in talks with the Scottish Government over the scale of contribution.
Details of the SoN’s participation in the scheme were revealed on the Government’s website, which confirms it will pay £5.7million in reparations.
It emerged in December that the Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul had agreed to make payments to survivors of up to £10million as part of the wider £115million Government redress fund.
Victims of historical child abuse and their relatives can apply for compensation between £10,000 and £100,000 through the scheme, administered by an organisation called Redress Scotland.
In 2018, the SoN accepted ‘retrospectively’ that children in its care were abused. Lady Smith, chairman of the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry said in 2019 that youngsters were subjected to the ‘utmost depravity’ at the hands of nuns and their helpers.
Her report said Nazareth Houses were ‘places of fear, hostility and confusion’ where children were victims of ‘brutal’ abuse and were ‘degraded with impunity’.
She said ‘boys and girls were sexually abused in various ways by staff, volunteers, visitors, priests and sisters’.
The inquiry considered evidence about abuse at institutions run by the SoN, particularly Nazareth Houses in Aberdeen, Cardonald in Glasgow, Lasswade in Midlothian and Kilmarnock.
The physical abuse children endured included being hit with belts, canes, broom handles, hairbrushes, shoes and wooden crucifixes, while some had carbolic soap stuffed in their mouths and had their heads banged together.
Bed-wetters were subjected to humiliation and various types of punishment, such as being forced to ‘wear’ their wet sheets.
Children were also emotionally abused in ‘very cruel’ ways, which included being separated from their siblings and children being confined in cupboards.
One victim said: ‘We put cloths on our feet and if you weren’t going fast enough by running up and down the floor with these cloths on our feet then nuns would beat us with sticks.’
The inquiry, in Edinburgh, heard evidence over 27 days from 39 witnesses about their experience in Nazareth Houses, while a further 29 witness statements were read into the proceedings. Helen Holland of the In Care Abuse Survivors group, who told the inquiry that she was raped by a priest at Nazareth House in Kilmarnock, said: ‘I think they should have committed to contributing more, but the fact that contributions are being made at all is an acknowledgement that the money for redress shouldn’t come solely from taxpayers.
‘It does acknowledge their part in the horrific abuse that was allowed to take place, and that will be welcomed by survivors.’
The SoN declined to comment on joining the redress fund. At the time of Lady Smith’s report, a spokesman said it was ‘deeply ashamed’ over the ‘suffering and abuse’. It apologised ‘unreservedly’ to those who suffered.
‘Nuns would beat us with sticks’