Jillian van Turnhout (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I concur with Senator Bacik with regard to the timing of legislation and giving considered process. I thank the Leader for moving Report Stage of the International Protection Bill 2015 in the revised agenda. I see that it will be taken next week or later.

It is sad to see a series of reports about the Bessborough mother and baby homes by the journalist Conall Ó Fátharta in the Irish Examiner. In the initial articles, Mr. Ó Fátharta wrote of his concerns about the number of reported deaths. His articles cover the over-reporting of deaths, and we can only conclude that some of those children who were reported as having died in the homes were most likely adopted in the United States and their records were falsified. It is the only conclusion one can come to.

I was particularly startled by today's article about child rape victims between the years of 1954 and 1987 who, as young pregnant girls, were brought to the Bessborough institution. Two cases stood out. One was in 1968, the year I was born. A child aged 12 who was a rape victim had a child in the home. That woman would now be 57. In 1982 there was a birth mother who was 14 years of age. I was 14 in 1982. She would now be 47. Her record states "Premature, 33 weeks, gasped and died." I want to know if these cases were reported to the Garda. Did the home, or the predecessor of Tusla, report these cases? The Irish Examinerput a series of questions to the Sisters of the Sacred Heart and to Tusla regarding the reporting of these cases and they declined to answer. They said they would deal directly with the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes. The reality, as we know, is that the commission cannot use any of the documentation or information in relation to criminal proceedings. Rape is a crime. I want to know whether these cases have been reported and what is actually happening. These women are still alive today, and I do not trust what has happened in these homes. The reports and figures uncovered by Mr. Conall Ó Fátharta show us why it is vital to have an audit. The State has a responsibility. These were children who were raped. What are we doing for them now? We can talk about times being different then, but one of the cases I mentioned was in 1982, which was not such a different time. What are we doing now with the full knowledge that we have? Are we ensuring that they will at last get justice? These women, very likely still alive today, were mistreated horrendously by the State. By our actions now we can show we have learnt the lessons of the past.