James Gallen

Survivors want 'barbaric' corporal punishments in schools to be included in new inquiry Corporal punishment was banned in Ireland in 1982, but many former pupils allege violent attacks still took place as a form of discipline.

www.thejournal.ie/schools-abus... As in other jurisdictions sexual abuse sits on a spectrum of abuse of children. The forthcoming Commission will likely just address sexual abuse - it wont tell a coherent truth if doesnt acknowledge the other forms of violence present at the time of sexual abuse.

Tusla and Government clash over bed spaces for at-risk children Correspondence shows disagreement between department and agency over handling of special care placement shortages

The Irish state historically outsourced "care" of vulnerable children to Church until the 1990s - and has not adequately invested in children since. This is a large structural injustice for generations: www.irishtimes.com/politics/202...

Caribbean leaders back Jamaica petition to King Charles for slavery reparations Caricom summit gives ‘broad support’ for request to Charles as region steps up campaign for justice

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Man kidnapped by Argentina’s military regime as baby is reunited with relatives Forty-nine-year-old is 140th child found by Grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo, who search for people ‘disappeared’ under 1976-83 dictatorship

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j... justice work only possible due to long slow and relentless work of victims families and advocates

What did the PM know? France reels at ‘absolute cruelty’ ... A report accuses prime minster François Bayrou of failing to act over the depravity of Bétharram

observer.co.uk/news/interna... "Everyone knew and nobody did anything." Sadly so familiar

Well done Mark, brilliant journalism and vital public service.

Slavery reparations group takes fight to Westminster and Brussels Lobbying effort by independent delegation follows Jamaica’s move to ask King Charles to request legal advice

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

Victims of paedophile Michael Shine outline what inquiry into his abuse would look like It follows a recent meeting with the Health Minister, during which she asked the victims to return with a list of their key demands.

Glad to support survivors in pursuit of meaningful investigation of the systemic failures related to Michael Shine's decades of abuse: www.thejournal.ie/michael-shin...

George Gibney arrested in US on foot of extradition request Gardaí seek extradition of former swimming coach after investigation into alleged child sex abuse

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025... An important step in justice for survivors in this case

‘A supermarket for sexual predators’: abuse scandal at elite boarding school shakes France Legal complaints filed by former pupils accuse priests and staff of physical or sexual abuse from 1957 to 2004

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j... Further evidence that the need to address child sexual abuse in the Catholic church is an ongoing global issue that needs national and Vatican level changes in law policy and practice to meet survivor justice needs.

Repatriation Cost Analysis: A Framework and Model - First Peoples Cultural Council The Repatriation Cost Analysis is a tool for Nations to assess stage of repatriation and estimate the resources needed for this work.

Full report here: fpcc.ca/resource/rep...

After 150 years, a prized box returns to an Indigenous nation in Canada: ‘I felt like royalty traveling with it’ The unlikely return of the bentwood box underscores the challenges facing Indigenous communities working to reclaim items raided from their lands

A new report estimates it would cost nearly C$663m (£353m) over five years to the fund repatriation for all 204 First Nations in British Columbia. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Abuse survivors left waiting too long for redress from Scouting Ireland Youth organisation continues to fight historical sex abuse cases in the courts, despite apologies and promises

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/co... Victim-survivors of non-recent abuses across different sectors have a terrible time when seeking justice through litigation. Reform of our civil procedure (cost protections, statute of limitations, legal aid) is necessary for effective access to justice.

Work to excavate Tuam mother and baby home site to begin Catherine Corless says the 796 children kept her going during ‘painful’ fight for justice

www.irishtimes.com/ireland/soci... This would not have happened without the tireless work of Catherine Corless, survivors, families, advocates and the international scrutiny that the truth brought on Ireland. Necessary, painstaking work ahead.

Pope Leo XIV faces major test over Opus Dei reforms When Pope Leo XIV summoned the leader of Opus Dei to see him, in one of his first official papal audiences, Vatican watchers immediately began to wonder what the meeting meant.

www.ncronline.org/opinion/pope... Ability to control and regulate the diverse Catholic religious orders and groups is a key to an effective and consistent approach to addressing child sexual abuse in Catholic church.

'Significant increase' in allegations of abuse against Catholic Church members, report says The National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church said there were 385 allegations made last year.

www.thejournal.ie/increase-abu... Combined with Scoping inquiry report, this further evidences the widespread nature of child abuse in day schools in Ireland.

The Dublin scout leader who died a day before his trial and the men who accuse him of abuse Neville Kearns died in a crash in 2024, a day before he was due to stand trial on charges relating to assault, rape and attempted rape of boys in the 1980s and 1990s

www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/20...

Thousands of child abuse records kept in storage costing €80,000 a year Long-promised law to transfer documents to the National Archives of Ireland has not been passed

The state has been ignoring this since the failure of the Retention of Records Bill 2019. Legislation preserving and regularising the CICA RIRB and McAleese inquiry records can and should proceed the establishment of the National Centre for Research and Remembrance www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2025...

Eight more men come forward alleging sexual abuse by paedophile surgeon Michael Shine The fresh claims come just weeks after Shine’s first media interview.

www.thejournal.ie/michael-shin...

Victims of Church abuse speak (Part 1): whether or not to ask for reparation In 2021, France discovered the extent of sexual abuse in its Church. A commission reported 330,000 victims. Two reparation bodies were quickly set up. Three and a half years on, victims spoke to Justi...

⛪ #SexualCrimes - "It was important for me to speak out for all the people who are silent."

🇫🇷 In 2021, France discovers the extent of sexual abuse in its #Church: a commission has counted 330,000 victims.

3 years later, Justice Info gives victims a voice.
www.justiceinfo.net/en/146003-vi...

Jeremy Harding · Paths to Restitution: Leopold’s Legacy The Royal Museum of the Belgian Congo became the Royal Museum of Central Africa after Brussels choked back its fury and...

‘How can a museum be decolonised if the descendants of colonised Congolese can't gain access to its archives?’

Jeremy Harding on the Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren, Belgium: www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Fully Funded PhD Opportunity in EU Law – Apply by 3 June 2025 | DELI The School of Law and Government at Dublin City University invites applications for its four-year fully funded PhD programme, starting in September 2025.

www.dcu.ie/deli/news/20... PhD Scholarship @deli-dcu.bsky.social

Opinion: To learn the lessons of Ireland's institutional past, we must teach it in schools Dr Sarah-Anne Buckley and Elaine Feeney welcome plans to teach the history, legacy and literature of Ireland’s dark past at Junior Cert level.

www.thejournal.ie/readme/mothe... The abusive aspects of our past should form part of our taught curriculum. A true accounting of our past is a civic responsibility for every successive generation.

This is bleak reading

WHO’s emergencies director, Mike Ryan, sounds the alarm on Israel’s ongoing genocide operation in Gaza. Netanyahu has turned the strip into an open air concentration camp and is deliberately starving civilians.

Opinion: Michael O'Brien's intervention was a watershed moment in our reckoning with abuse Dr Sinéad Ring of Maynooth University says Ireland owes a huge debt of gratitute to Michael O’Brien, survivor of abuse, who passed away this week.

www.thejournal.ie/readme/micha...

Victim's advocates criticise cardinal's role in Pope Francis' funeral

Victim's advocates criticise cardinal's role in Pope Francis' funeral reut.rs/3YhVqkO

Great analysis Miguel. Good for the competition their planning is fallible, but it is sad if Qatar is the beneficiary. Not replacing Kroos or Modric with someone similar is negligent

Europe's race to rearm is pointless if its adversaries are waging war online | Johnny Ryan Ireland holds the algorithm off-switch. Ursula von der Leyen must force Dublin to use it says civil liberties campaigner Johnny Ryan

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Ireland’s mother-and-baby homes are a stain on the Catholic church - but this latest refusal to atone is a new low | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett The reluctance of religious organisations to offer recompense for the lives ruined fits a pattern of denial and evasion, says Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...