An Irish woman who spent much of her childhood in a Mother and Baby Home has spoken about the systematic abuse she was subjected to in a shocking interview.
Rosemary Adaser was a guest on the Late Late Show and explained about some of the horrendous treatment she suffered as a very young child.
She revealed that she was targeted because of her mixed race by the staff and was subjected to violent attacks and humiliating ordeals.
The shocking revelations from Adaser left host Ryan Tubridy and the studio audience speechless.
In what was a hugely brave admission of the suffering she had gone through, Adaser explained how she was aged just 6 when she arrived at St Joseph’s Industrial School.
She revealed that she was forced to carry out disgusting tasks because of her skin colour and humiliated on a daily basis by the staff working at the Home.
Most of the details of Adaser’s ordeal are not suitable to be published.
Partway through the interview, Tubridy is visibly upset and says to Adaser: “It’s not human what happened to you.”
The veteran host struggled to find the words to say as he continued: “It’s infuriating, you know cos it’s not fair. I’m not sure what we can do with what you’re telling me. It’s not fair that it all happened to you. I don’t know what to say cos it’s a terribly upsetting story.”
The interview continued and Adaser revealed more details of the abuse she suffered.
She explained that as a mixed-race girl she was singled out for the worst treatment.
Ireland was in a conflict with Congo when she was a child in the Home. Adaser said she was given beatings every time and Irish soldier died in battle as her skin colour made her a representative of the Congo in the eyes of the officials who ran the Home.
She said: “They wanted to teach me a lesson. I am ten years old, what do I know about wars?”
The interview is shocking, but the stories needed to be told and full praise must go to Adaser for her bravery at speaking publicly about the horrors she faced.
Adaser is a co-founder of MixedraceIrish and has worked for years to bring a voice to mixed race Irish people who also suffered abuse in the Mother and Baby institutions run by the Catholic Church.
You can see the interview in full below. Be aware it contains graphic content that most people will find upsetting.
