Justice for survivors of abuse – compel religious orders to pay

Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the unconscionable abuse experienced by so many school children demands punitive action from the next Government.

Deputy Bacik said:

“Addressing the heinous crimes carried out against children must be an immediate priority for the next Government.

“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have shown their true colours since September, opting to put any challenging issues on the back burner rather than providing justice for survivors of abuse.

“In September, I provided a clear legislative framework to Government that would hold religious orders to account for the act they had in committing some of the most shameful abuses in the State’s history. I wrote to the Taoiseach demanding immediate action.

“It’s hard to take his words of sympathy seriously when I know that he has had almost two months to take action for survivors.

“Ireland’s long and shameful past demands action. This intergenerational trauma continues to have a lasting impact on survivors, innocent school children who were neglected under the watch of the State.

“That’s why I want to see religious orders held to account once and for all. They must be compelled to pay up and provide redress for survivors.

“History tells us that appeals to the moral duty of religious orders falls on deaf ears.

“I have been deeply moved by the bravery of survivors in recent months as they shared their stories on our airwaves and on television. But why do we always make survivors relive these horrors?

“Justice delayed is justice denied. While religious orders will likely attempt to obfuscate and hide behind legal loopholes, Labour believes that they must be held to account. These orders have no shortage of monies. An investigation by Noteworthy for the Journal showed that religious orders involved in historic abuse sold over 75 properties, worth more than €90 million, between 2016 and 2022 alone.

“The theft of innocence can never be made right. But demanding that religious orders pay up could represent a step towards closure for survivors.”