Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

If one thing is clear about how we must proceed to address the shameful scandal of abuse, neglect and imprisonment represented by the mother and baby homes which operated in this State it is that we must as a principle accept and believe the word of the survivors of these crimes. I believe the survivors of places like Bessborough, Bethany and other homes. I know some survivors personally. I believe them when they describe a kind of existence which to be perfectly honest I do not want to believe but I know from their dignity and resolve and from the catalogue of already exposed outrages that the horrors of which they speak are true and that they must be brought out into the light.

This motion demands we ensure a process is put in place for that to happen so that survivors can seek solace in that openness and that we as a nation can look at ourselves and our society and truly say, never again, that this will never be allowed to happen again, to be swept under the carpet or to be denied. Until we do that we will be a nation living in a deep and inescapable cloud of shame. I am proud to have worked with the campaigner, Joan McDermott from Cork, and to call her a friend. She is the definition of a survivor. She is my hero. She was imprisoned in the hell of Bessborough House in 1967 because she had committed the crime of becoming pregnant in holy Catholic Ireland. She told the European Parliament in 2014 that "The nuns there treated us like you wouldn't treat a dog". When she went into labour, she was locked alone in a room overnight. Her son was stolen from her and placed into adoption just seven and a half weeks after she gave birth. Upon release she was told to never return to her homeland. She was lied to at every turn when trying to find her son. Somehow, through great resolve and strength, Joan managed to build a life afterwards. After 50 years she was reunited with her son who had to ask her what was his own date of birth. Through her story and her campaigning Joan has made it clear again and again that it is only by seeking the truth and speaking it loudly that healing is allowed to happen. Untold hurt has been done and the healing has come far too late but we can begin that process now. The Minister mentioned that she had spoken to some of the experts. Joan McDermott is an expert. She is the type of person to whom the Minister should speak. People such as her have lived the experience. Many of the women who survived these crimes have already gone on record. That is not an easy thing for anyone to do given the deep trauma. We must respect that and seek to allow existing testimony to be treated with due respect and to not be ignored, especially for survivors who are no longer with us. We must also ensure that we build an Ireland which respects and defends the rights of women as that is not the case even to this day.

There is no suggestion that the motion would undermine the commission of investigation. We want the commission to finish its work, even though we feel it is inadequate but that does not mean we cannot work towards a truth commission, which needs to happen. I urge all Members to please support the motion.

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