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Allegations
of Abuse in Institutions |
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A grateful former St
Joseph's Orphanage girl says she felt much safer there than at home, but has
confirmed a disputed allegation that girls were strapped. An older girl who was
assigned to "buddy" Eve Bon in 1971 at the Upper Hutt orphanage is
suing the Sisters of Mercy and three other Catholic organisations for
$550,000, alleging various forms of mistreatment and neglect in their care. In the High Court at
Wellington the claimant's name, and the names of many nuns and other
witnesses, are suppressed. Mrs Bon gave testimony
yesterday for the Sisters of Mercy (Wellington) Trust Board and St Joseph's
Orphanage Trust Board. The other defendants are Wellington's Roman Catholic
Archdiocese and Catholic Social Services. The case is in its fourth week,
which is expected to be the last. Mrs Bon said she
remembered the claimant being sad a lot of the time, calm and not saying
much. She did not remember her being singled out or being in trouble. The orphanage felt
safer than the home that she fled with her mother and siblings in the middle
of the night when she was seven years old, Mrs Bon said. She was there for
about 18 months, before she and her sister could return to live with their
mother. The orphanage had clear
routines, a good standard of basic care and was like being in a little army,
but with quite a few treats. The nuns were not "touchy-feely" but
girls were praised and encouraged. The claimant has
alleged a particular nun hit her repeatedly around the head with an open
hand, causing a torn eardrum, and also strapped her. The nun has denied the
accusations and said she never saw orphanage girls strapped or used a strap
herself. But Mrs Bon said she
did remember the nun using the strap, but not her open hand. Girls complained about
another nun hitting them with a hairbrush. Another nun hit girls with a long
ruler, Mrs Bon said. Other recollections of
the claimant did not accord with her own memories of the orphanage, she said.
Later the claimant went
to St Mary's College, Wellington. Former principal Sister Mary McDonald said
corporal punishment was not acceptable in a Catholic girls school. |
