'They just ignored my tears, they ignored my unhappiness': former Irish nuns reveal accounts of brainwashing and abuse

By Karen Hanrahan, Principal Lecturer, School of Education, University of Brighton

Any thoughts of escaping to a more natural life was regarded as being sinful. The idea of being unfaithful to your vocation was a step on the way to hell. It would be a mortal sin.

These are the words of Mary, my mother. She was just 15 when she entered a convent in Ireland in 1950 and 34 by the time she finally managed to leave. She had been expressing doubts to her superiors since her early twenties but years of “brainwashing” and the very real fear of her and her family facing eternal damnation made breaking her vows seem impossible.

Speaking…

Read complete article

~	‘Eye watering’ spending, growing debt make up surprisingly generous Victorian state budget

~	If the RBA’s right, interest rates may not fall for another year. Here’s why – and what it means for next week’s budget

~	Coalition demands amendments to government’s deportation bill, as crucial High Court judgement set for Friday

~	Expelling students for bad behaviour seems like the obvious solution, but is it really a good idea?

~	A story of trauma, hope and regaining control, Nayika: A Dancing Girl is soul-stirring dance theatre

~	Israel: US Arms Used in Strike that Killed Lebanon Aid Workers

~	UN: Revise ‘Pact for the Future’ to Focus on Rights

~	Trinidad and Tobago: Bring Home Children, Women Held in Iraq

~	‘Baby Reindeer’ highlights sexual violence against men – but feels indifferent to viewer safety

~	How does the drug abemaciclib treat breast cancer?