Archive for the ‘Children and Youth Affairs’ Category
To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will recommend to the mother and baby home commission to extend the sampling method as established in the terms of reference to include the six institutions currently excluded from the full inquiry, but included partially in exit pathways; and if she will make a statement on the matter. – Clare Daly T.D.
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Statement from the Coalition of Mother And Baby home Survivors
IT IS TIME FOR IRELAND TO FINALLY DEAL WITH
THE REALITY AND LEGACY OF IT’S TREATMENT OF SINGLE MOTHERS AND THEIR BABIES
SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE STATE
SURVIVOR COMMUNITY DEMAND ACTION INSTEAD OF WORDS
Now that the work of historian and heroic campaigner Catherine Corless has been vindicated in the eyes of the world, it is time for immediate action on the part of the Government to meet with the survivor representatives to resolve the serious outstanding issues faced by our ageing and overwhelmingly elderly community. We have sadly witnessed many of our active members pass away without ever seeing a personal resolution to their many years of often heartbreaking campaigning work. In this instance, justice delayed is justice permanently denied.The Coalition of Mother And Baby home Survivors have contacted the Taoiseach’s office to request that Enda Kenny immediately meet with representatives of the survivor community to resolve the outstanding issues facing elderly, and dying Irish citizens, who have been through enough in their lives and who need acknowledgement and some substantive movement by the Government before it too late for them.
All of our community universally acknowledges and salutes the trojan work of Catherine Corless over many years. Others needed proof but we never doubted Catherine for a minute. We trust that now that it is shown that Tuam, the 5th biggest of the 9 Mother and Baby homes, did indeed see 796 infants and children die over it’s lifetime, that Ireland acknowledge the real scale of the horror of Mother and Baby homes. CMABS have attached a Fact Sheet to this email with confirmed deaths and conservative estimates of yet unknown numbers of babies who died from neglect and indifference. It is absolutely clear that, and CMABS would like to stress that this is a conservative estimate, at least 6,000 babies, children and mothers died in Ireland’s now globally notorious Mother and Baby homes.
The attached Fact Sheet reveals the newly researched, registered deaths that occurred in Castlepollard Mother and Baby home as well as the first release of any figures for Stillbirths in any of the M&B homes. These forgotten babies who never drew breath have previously been overlooked but they deserve the same attention and sorrow as any other human being. These tragic infants were as deserving of life as any other survivor and must not be forgotten. They are our crib mates and our community will not forget them.
CMABS primary goal is the Full Inclusion of all living survivors in the current Commission of Inquiry. It is deeply unfair and hurtful to our community that so many of our fellow survivors have been omitted from the Inquiry. The real issue here is Ireland’s treatment of single mothers and their babies, not what happened to some of them behind the High Walls of the Mother and Baby homes. There cannot be a hierarchy of survivors, we are all equal and we need immediate FULL INCLUSION for all survivors.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny, we await your urgent response…
CMABS & friends
ENDS