Roman Catholic sexual and physical child abuse in Irish workhouses

The Roman Catholic church operated a series of more than 200 workhouses for orphans, delinquent children, and children of single mothers in Ireland between the 1930s and 1990s. They housed some 30,000 children, were funded by the state, and run by Roman Catholic orders such as the Christian Brothers and Sisters of Mercy.  
Tom Sweeney, 11, who had skipped school. Mannix Flyunn, 8, who stole a box of chocolates. Christine Buckley, 1 month old, who was guilty only of being born to a single mother. Now 62 years of age, she was one of the first victims to break her silence and demand justice. 

http://www.religioustolerance.org/clergy_sex10.htm