Ms Sandra Peake:

In respect of Deputy Crowe's comment about support, those who are here have said that they are not eligible for the newly created victims service created by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. That is an area that probably needs to be reconsidered. Deputy Crowe mentioned that it has been 15 years since the Good Friday Agreement and the fact that past issues are so present. It was 11 years before three of the bodies of the disappeared were recovered. They included Peter Wilson who disappeared in 1973, Charlie Armstrong who disappeared in 1980 and Gerry Evans who disappeared in 1979. Those bodies were recovered within a short space of time. That highlighted the fact that this is not an easy process. It takes time, commitment and tenacity to keep coming back and the families have had to do that time and time again. That is not without its cost to them. The last surviving mother of one of those who remain missing, Mrs. McKee, died 18 months ago. It is no secret because the family has shared it but she died a woman who had long-term difficulties arising from the abduction of her son. Many of the mothers have put their sons' names on headstones and, therefore, handed the mantle of responsibility to the siblings. That is something that must be considered. The message is there - please bring these people home. The other sad reality is that we have a new victims and survivors service that has sought to medicalise matters and exclude siblings. The siblings in the families of the disappeared are carrying this forward and are excluded from assistance. We have highlighted the difficulties those policies and decisions create for individuals.

The sad reality is that we have a system whereby the funding is for a maximum of two years. The Peace Factory is now without funding for the important work they do for victims and survivors and quite frankly, it is not good enough. We lose good staff and build up capacity. You are never sure whether you are able to keep going beyond a certain period and I would urge this committee to urge those responsible to bring in a firm arrangement to ensure that the community sector, which is a Cinderella sector but does valuable and much-needed work, is funded adequately on the basis so that it does not continue to lose good people who are trained and then move on because they may need to. They need that continuity. That is something that is very important.

We have also brought the Families of the Disappeared book with us and have copies for people here. Those books have been published by the families through WAVE and tell the stories of a number of families. We are happy for those to be given to members. Education is key. The reality is that we often treat people like an abnormality when it is the situation faced by many people that is the abnormality. How they experience it is not the abnormality. They are experiencing the normal reaction to something that was totally abnormal. Every day, a scar is unpicked for somebody. Language, gestures and commemoration are important. We have seen those events more recently causing people to count the sores and we must show care, sensitivity and support.

We have to show care, sensitivity and support in dealing with those issues. That would be my key message to everybody around the table today. It is a key consideration.

The plight of the families of the disappeared is not a contested issue but a humanitarian issue. The Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains has acknowledged the support that has been forthcoming in this regard, which is very important. Our plea would be to revisit the sites where information is needed and to do so without delay.