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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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The Press
July 17, 2002

Men 'positive' after meeting
by Tara Ross

Ten men who allege they were abused at a Christchurch Catholic boarding school met the visiting leader of the order last night to discuss the past.

Brother Peter Burke, the Australasian head of the St John of God Order, is in Christchurch to face allegations being made against brothers from its former Marylands residential school.

Police are investigating several fresh sexual-abuse complaints against brothers who ran the school for boys with learning and intellectual problems until 1984. Complainants who met Brother Burke last night included Patrick, whose story on how he was paid $30,000 by the order to keep quiet, kicked off a series of articles in The Press
.

Other complainants also spoke out when Brother Burke, from Sydney, promised that the order would not enforce strict confidentiality clauses in their settlements.

Meeting organiser Ken Clearwater, manager of the Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust, said the meeting, which included parents of some of the complainants, had been a positive first step.

"It was an opportunity for them to give the church what they had been hanging onto for 20 years."

Brother Burke had promised to deal openly with the men's complaints. He would return within a fortnight to meet each complainant to discuss what they wanted for their "healing", Mr Clearwater said.

"It was very positive for these guys, given the lack of trust in the past, that they could sit there and negotiate with them."

Four St John of God brothers who worked in Christchurch have had claims made against them in the past, for which the order has paid out $300,000 to five complainants.