Government must compel religious institutions to pay redress
- Labour Party legislation would make it easier for survivors to seek justice from religious orders and associated trusts
- Just one order has made serious offer of redress for survivors of mother and baby homes
Labour leader Ivana Bacik said the Government has no choice but to compel orders to pay redress to seek justice for survivors of mother and baby homes.
Deputy Bacik said:
“The news that just one religious order has made an offer to pay redress to mother and baby home survivors is disappointing but not surprising. The work undertaken by Sheila Nunan has revealed that religious institutions continue to drag their feet and delay on the issue of redress, at a time when urgent action is needed for survivors.
“Clearly, we cannot simply appeal to any sense of moral duty from religious orders to ensure that survivors receive the justice they deserve.
“Last September, I wrote to the then Taoiseach Simon Harris outlining details of Labour’s “Civil Liability (Child Sexual Abuse Proceedings Unincorporated Bodies of Persons) Bill 2024” and calling on Government to adopt the Bill. If enacted, this Bill would provide a remedy for Government to address the legal obstruction tactics so routinely deployed by religious orders to avoid having to pay redress to those who have endured abuse in institutions controlled by such orders.
“This Bill would address the imbalance of power that exists by facilitating civil proceedings against unincorporated bodies, such as religious orders, and by providing a mechanism for recovering damages from the ‘associated’ lay-run trusts set up by these bodies, to which their assets have typically been transferred.
“Any organisation which has facilitated, tolerated or covered up abuse must be compelled to pay redress. Some of the worst sexual absue imaginable has been perpetrated against children and vulnerable adults while in the care of these religious orders. They must now be required to pay their share of redress for survivors.
“These institutions are not short of money. 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.
“Not only must we condemn abuse in all its forms, but we must also ensure that survivors receive the justice they so clearly deserve.”