Child abuse campaigners demand inquiry

Published on Sunday 1 November 2009 21:12

CAMPAIGNERS against child abuse will today hand the Northern Ireland Assembly a petition demanding a full inquiry into their treatment in institutions run by the Catholic Church and the state.

Thousands of people are understood to have signed the petition and politicians will debate a call for a commission to examine the impact of abuse in Northern Ireland.

The move comes after victims of child abuse wrote to the Stormont government, demanding an inquiry along the lines of the Ryan report that exposed widespread abuse in homes run by religious orders in the Irish Republic.

Social Democratic and Labour Party health spokeswoman Carmel Hanna said: "The Ryan Report is a watershed, a seminal moment in Irish history – 1,500 people came forward with allegations to the Ryan Commission, generations of people.

"Ryan is the gravest indictment of the powerful and the privileged in church and state in Ireland, the religious orders, the hierarchy, successive governments and the department of education.

"Irish people for decades to come will ask how appalling horrors were inflicted on innocent children placed in the care of religious orders by the state. It is a terrifying account of the shattered lives of generations of Irish children.

"The relevant religious congregations operated on an all-island basis and there have been allegations and criminal convictions of some who were supposed to be the primary protectors of children. That is why Ryan needs to complemented and finalised by a post-script for Northern Ireland and why the executive needs to act now."

Ms Hanna added: "We must never forget that children in care are the most vulnerable people in our society. We must ensure all child protection protocols are in place and rigorously monitored so we can ensure the horrors of Ryan can never be recreated."

Last week, hundreds of child abuse victims in Northern Ireland demanded a full inquiry into the mistreatment they suffered in institutions run by the Catholic Church and the state.

A lawyer for the victims said they suffered sexual and physical abuse in cases dating back to the 1940s, but believed they had been discriminated against since inquires in the south of Ireland did not extend to Northern Ireland.

Solicitor Joe Rice said he had written to first minister Peter Robinson and deputy first minister Martin McGuinness, plus secretary of state Shaun Woodward, detailing the demand for an inquiry into child abuse in the jurisdiction.