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Accusations of Abuse in Institutions

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The Press
August 17, 2002

More women join in allegations of abuse
by Yvonne Martin

More women are coming forward with complaints of physical abuse by Catholic nuns at Christchurch's Nazareth House, who are the subject of a group action.

Ann from Whangarei, one of five women taking legal action against the Sisters of Nazareth for incidents in the 1950s and early 1960s, said the girls lived in constant fear of punishment from the nuns.

"I was punished for any little thing. At Nazareth House I was stripped at night and tied to a bed and thrashed by one of the sisters," she claims.

Ann alleges she was regularly beaten because she could not spell, and would then have to kneel and apologise to the head nun for forgiveness.

"To get peace and so that nobody else would hit me, I used to go outside and make daisy chains and put them on a statue of Mary and Jesus," she said.

She said a cowboy doll, which she believed to be the only tangible link with her mother, was regularly taken off her and eventually smashed.

"They don't understand what it's done to me. I've got no self-esteem. I had no schooling. I wasn't allowed a childhood. I was a slave. I worked in the kitchen and washhouse and I couldn't even lift the pots filled with potatoes onto the stove."

The women, who have hired Whangarei lawyer Stuart Henderson, want the sisters to acknowledge alleged abuse occurred and pay compensation.

Another woman, Helen, who wants to join the group action, claimed the sisters at old Nazareth House in Brougham Street would threaten the girls to stop them running away.

"We were told if we ran away nasty old men would get us in Sydenham Park. We were getting abused and they thought there was someone worse out there."

Christchurch Bishop John Cunneen said he was deeply saddened to read about the women's complaints in yesterday's Press.

"I do not wish, in any way, to minimise the seriousness of these allegations that have been published," he said. "It is also important to say that the actions of the few who may have offended should not in any way diminish the integrity and dedication of the majority of the sisters, who have given wonderful care to thousands of young women over many years."

The Sisters of the Good Shepherd have already settled with 14 women physically abused as girls at its St Joseph's orphanage in Halswell.

The St John of God Order and Marist Brothers are also dealing with historic sex abuse complaints.