Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today, as we speak about the mother and baby institutions and the report that was published yesterday, I pay tribute to and commend all of the women and children, many of whom are now adults, who heroically came forward to share their stories. They fought with courage and determination and did not give up. In recent years I have had the privilege of getting to know many people who are survivors of mother and baby homes, including women who had their babies stolen from them and children born into the homes who were denied a relationship with their birth mother. Through many conversations, one common message always comes through, that nobody within the State was willing to listen to them when they were forced into these institutions, and since then, they have been failed by the State on many occasions, including by this Government. Real, meaningful consultation is something that survivors, their families and their representative groups have continuously sought.

When speaking about this matter, I am cognisant that we need to allow survivors and their families the time to read the report in detail and to reflect on its contents. We need to make sure to listen to their voices. We also remember the many women and children who lost their lives in these institutions. I have been contacted by a number of survivors who have not been able to access the report. They are not technologically savvy. They felt they were going to get copies of it in the post. I urge that this be followed up on because I feel it is the least they deserve.

Mother and baby homes were not homes, they were detention centres. A home is somewhere where one should feel safe, loved and protected, not a place where one is tortured, imprisoned and forced to give birth in the most appalling conditions, often without medical support or even basic pain relief. These walls hid torture, deprivation and humiliation on a colossal scale. Human rights did not exist in these centres. As a mother, daughter, sister and Irish citizen, I cannot countenance this cruelty. The cries of children and tortured mothers were ignored and trivialised by cruel nuns and others who were involved in these institutions, who ran the institutions as if they were prisons.

While both yesterday and today are historic points, the journey to truth and equality is not over. Time and again, we have failed survivors and their families, most recently in October last year, when they were appallingly treated by this Government as they attempted to rush through ill thought-out legislation. This caused significant anger and upset for survivors. When will we learn that survivors need to be listened to? They do not need our sympathy. They need and deserve our action. We must set out a path to genuine consultation and the Government must make good on its commitment to repair the damage done to the relationship. I sincerely hope that the Government's commitment to redress is not simply lip service and that real engagement is entered into with all survivors and adoptive rights groups. Survivors need assurances that their rights will be vindicated, especially their right to unconditional access to birth certificates. Their families need a clear statutory right to their own care or adoption file and to records concerning a family member who died in care or when adopted.

It is my fervent wish that the courage shown by survivors in coming forward is met by action from the Government, as the State has failed them. The State did not listen, did not care and it turned a blind eye. Now the State must accept responsibility and come good for survivors. Please let the consultation be meaningful and genuine. Please ensure that people get a copy of the report and that their voices are heard.

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