Fort Albany First Nation Residential Schools (03:13)

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Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner Chief Wilton Littlechild accepts child abuse stories as truth. Ontario residential schools operated from 1903 to 1976 and were funded by the Canadian government. Catholic nuns operated St. Anne's from 1932 to 1976.

Arriving to St. Anne's Residential School (02:56)

Edmund Metatawabin recalls suffering silently; parents were barred from visiting and children were taken from their families. Mary Jane Metatawabin recalls being given an identification number.

Mealtimes at St. Anne's (03:04)

Elder Louis Knapaysweet recalls praying before eating. Priests ate well while children were served porridge with horse meat. Nuns forced sick children to eat their own vomit.

Government Funded Child Abuse (03:40)

Knapaysweet describes being tied to a pipe and whipped in Christ's name at St. Anne's. Metatawabin recalls saying the rosary without knowing who Mother Mary was. She entered the school at age 5 and feels emotionally broken by the experience.

Sexual Abuse at St. Anne's (04:29)

At Fort Albany Truth and Reconciliation hearings, men and women testified as having been raped and molested. Gisele Rickard recalls Father Lavoie fondling young girls on his lap. Ed Sackaney was hit for pointing out this behavior to nuns.

A Sinless Child (02:50)

Rickard recalls confronting Father Lavoie during confession. In 2015, the Ontario superior court acknowledged he had been a serial sexual abuser of children at St. Anne's. Metatawabin felt defenseless at night.

Losing Childhood (05:07)

Sackaney recalls telling a lay employee about being sexually abused. The man was fired for bringing it up to priests and nuns. Another survivor's female friend was raped by priests, became pregnant, and had an abortion performed by nuns.

Teaching Sexual Abuse (03:37)

Nuns and priests at St. Anne's regularly molested children and created a climate of abuse. Survivor Evelyn Korkmaz recalls being raped by a group of fellow students.

Electric Chair (04:21)

Survivors recall being subjected to electric shocks for the entertainment of nuns and priests. Sackaney describes priests destroying the chair as St. Anne's opened to more visitors.

Breaking the Silence (02:55)

Knapaysweet wants his sons to know about abuses at St. Anne's. Metatawabin reflects on the emotional healing process. During the 1990s, seven former staff members were charged with child abuse, but most clergy members had died by trial time.

Fight for Justice (01:55)

Since 2013, St. Anne's survivors have fought to have the Ontario government disclose evidence proving systemic and systematic sexual and physical abuse. Such evidence would support compensation in an independent assessment process. Denial has further contributed to traumatization and depression.

Credits: In Jesus' Name: Shattering the Silence of St. Anne's Residential School (03:32)

Credits: In Jesus' Name: Shattering the Silence of St. Anne's Residential School