London Irish Centre at Camden

[Rob Northall]

Abuse group founder Phyllis Morgan ‘forced’ to retire

 

Woman, 66, who helped launch a support service for Irish convent victims, is told to leave

Published: July 28, 2011
by TOM FOOT

A SURVIVOR of Irish convent abuse who set up a pioneering group to help victims living in London says she has been pushed out of her job because of her age.

Outreach worker Phyllis Morgan, 66, will leave the London Irish Centre at Camden Square tomorrow (Friday).

She has worked there for more than 10 years, running the London Irish Survivors Outreach Ser­vice and helping thousands of victims who were abused in religious convents as children. Ms Morgan said: “I love my work and I don’t see why I should have to leave because of my age. They are doing this before the law changes.”

New rules banning employers from firing staff because they have reached the retirement age comes into effect in October.

David Barlow, the Irish Centre’s new director, said its board had been in retirement talks with Ms Morgan for two years.

He told the New Journal that her contract had been temporarily extended when she reached 65 but that to comment further would break employment rules.

Mr Barlow stressed that the service was not closing and that board members had been in talks with Irish ministers this week about the continued funding of the project.

He added: “Services for victims of abuse will continue.

“The London Irish Centre takes its commitment to survivors very seriously.”

Ms Morgan was a victim of the physical and mental abuse suffered by tens of thousands of children placed in the care of Catholic religious orders.

At the age of three, she was separated from her mother and placed in the full-time care of nuns.

She told how she would eat pig food because it was better than what was offered to her. “We were treated worse than pigs,” she added.

Ms Morgan said she spent her entire childhood at three convents in the Dublin area, where she claims the nuns abused her.

“Children were placed in these convents for various reasons,” she said.

“They were all over Ireland and many fled to come here to Camden. The are all such a vulnerable group.

“They are not able to hold down jobs because they were so damaged – many were repeatedly raped.

“Many live in dire homes and we get them into better homes. We help them get compensation. We have made a difference to so many lives. It is unbelievable how busy we are.”

The last of the 132 convents of this kind was shut down in 1986. The Irish government issued guidance following an inquiry in 2009 that a state-funded support service should be provided for all victims.

The Camden-based survivors service is funded by Ireland’s Department of Education and costs around £94,000 a year.

Source -

http://www.camdennewjournal.com/news/2011/jul/abuse-group-founder-p...

[Geraldine Jackson]

£94,000 + expensis no doubt , which might be far more than the £94,000 ,It's 2012 now We should know how much the London Irish Centre's >and Other Irish Centres in the UK are getting from the Ststuary Trust Fund. + all Expensis  they claimed for down to the last Teabag.

[Geraldine Jackson]

They won't let us know anything , they never cared about any of us and never will, it's all about their Funding and cushy Jobs for themselves their Friends and Family members.

[Geraldine Jackson]

How many Survivors  who Died without ever getting Justice have even got a headstone or an Identity .

[Geraldine Jackson]

how much of that £94,000 has been eaten up in wages, office expensis , staff expens's, how many years have they been receiving this 15- 25 ? 30 ? If you also add other Irish Centres and services centres Er for survivors including Groups ??  so called that adds up to many millions  over the years so many survivors could have bought their own property out of that which would have helped with healing  and enable survivors to be able to pass something onto their children this is what should have happened as very many survivors live in America ,Canada, Austraila, Norway, France, and are elderly and mostly disabled in some way (From the abuse surffered in childhood)  Tell me O'Great Leaders Just how will those survivors  Benefit from the Statuary Trust Fund. they didn't benefit over the past years anyway,   I sware if I hear those silly people banging on again that Survivors need education. ,what they really  mean is they love their high powerd job and offices and many perks , Power over the Vulnerable , so want their huge Funding to continue for themselves. Power Trip.

[Geraldine Jackson]

Should British Politicians be involved in the Decision for The Statuary Trust Fund with the Irish Government ??????? I Don't

[Geraldine Jackson]

Maby the Irish Post newspaper on the 29/Sept/2012 got it wrong they had Phillis's photo on the front page (could have been engineered to make us think Phillis was still at the Camden Town centre) The headlines read the following,> FORGOTTEN,  Abuse Survivors need more help say's campaign Leader Phillis Morgan.   --- On the other newspaper The Irish World it had The Federation of Irish societies (Whoever they are )  ) about the usual Education and skill's and Advertising themselves.

[Geraldine Jackson]

How much in Funding from the Statuary Trust Fund's are the Frederation of Irish Societies reveiving now in 2012.

[Geraldine Jackson]

Their funding seems to have gone up massively. I rang that office about at least 10 years ago looking for help in finding my sister missing for many years ,I heard nothing back about that, I rang them again 2011 and the girl asked me for all my details , like name dob, which Industrial , also my Sister's detail's AGAIN she didn't even ask what it was about<  , Again I have not heard a word back , my older sister has been missing since 1968 ish, , (Still Missing 2012 )  I have paid the Salvation Army tracing service, Missing Persons register ,both in the UK and Ireland. I walked around many parts of London looking for her myself, and Ireland , All they seem to offer is their Women's group one day a week I wonder just how many Real survivors turn up for that?? as most survivors Don't live in London.or anywhere near ,  I wish they would all stop banging on about Education and counselling that is their (GROUPS ) excuse to appear that they are doing something to help the survivors >more like to secure their Jobs and funding. All those Groups books should be checked out and every EURO accounted for , every Survivors name they claim to represent checked out.  many survivors have already Died sadly without ever getting any help whatsoever , Survivors exiled from their own country possibly stuck in Poverty and not in good health in different countries who need medical help but can't afford to pay for it as some who made it over to their own country in the hope of getting decent compensation were handed peanuts and left Ireland in a state of more distress they lost all benefits having to pay for everything out of the Peanuts and all Taxes,  How many children were detained in each Industrial school in Ireland from 1930's to the date's they closed ?? surely the Dept of Educ has all those Detail's and should have all the names of children's detention years ect , including all Medical record's. including all Death Cert's , It is all completely Corrupt from the start. on my visit to Ireland the only person who offered me a friendly hand and help was a lovely kind couple in  The  Ballagh' Enniscorthy , Wexford  he himself is a Survivor  and helps out other survivors his name is John ,I would like to say Thank you to them . there was NO help or any advise from anywhere else from any of those so called services who get huge funding in survivors names only open Hostility they didn't want to know at all or even talk to me .as for the Camden Irish so called services for Survivors , Just what do they do with all that Funding????? What do they offer the Survivors?? as far as I can see NOT MUCH . if anything at all. Survivors are just  Business and Job's   to them all.