Mother and Baby Home survivor: 'There has to be an end to this somewhere'
Mother and Baby Home and industrial school survivor Rosemary Adaser talked to Ryan Tubridy on the Late Late Show last night about the abuse she suffered growing up.
Her initial reaction to hearing about the
Read More:
However, she said that she wasn't surprised at the "horrific findings".
"For a lot of survivors in the community, actually they are not that surprised."
Survivor of the Mother and Baby homes, Rosemary Adaser on the shock of hearing today's news about the #tuambabies #latelate pic.twitter.com/FtiXYODYec
— The Late Late Show (@RTELateLateShow) March 3, 2017
She also spoke about the nuns withholding her father's identity from her until it was too late.
She was joined on the couch by Brian Rothery, the foster father who helped build her back up after years of suffering.
Rosemary also recalled her time at St Joseph's Industrial School.
She said when she first arrived, everyone stared at her but she didn't know why at the time. "In hindsight, clearly they were looking at their newest piece of prey."
She described her experience at the school as "particularly brutal" because she was a mixed-race child.
Rosemary recalled the humiliations "heaped" on her, such as always having to have her weekly bath after the thirty other girls had already used the water and being woken up in the middle of the night to unblock to toilet "because her skin was already the same colour".
Ryan was lost for words as he listened to what he called "a terribly upsetting story".
"It's not fair," he said.
Rosemary said her experience was warped. She explained that sexual abuse was rampant though frowned upon.
She said at the time sexual abuse against one of the white girls was like a capital sin and sexual abuse against her was seen as a small sin because she was "a savage to be contained, to be tamed".
Listening to her story, the audience members were visibly upset, clearly affected by the severe abuse Rosemary endured as a very young child.
