Mother and baby homes: Council backs victim-led investigation

The silent gesture was proposed by Aontú Councillor Emmet Doyle, after which Councillors unanimously pledged their support for those who suffered at Mother and Baby Homes.

A motion tabled by People Before Profit Colr. Eamonn McCann backed a victim and survivor-led investigation whereby they decide whether it is on a statutory footing, including the possibility of a public sworn inquiry.

Colr. McCann’s motion noted ‘the appalling vista revealed in the report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission in the South and in the report published this week on mother and baby homes in the North.’ It also noted ‘that both religious run and State homes were involved in this saga of suffering on both sides of the border.’ 

His motion called on ‘State authorities North and South to facilitate the reference of appropriate cases to the prosecution bodies’.

An impassioned Colr. McCann said: “These are atrocities which happened, it’s not good enough to say they happened a long time ago and everyone regrets them and they are sorry. They were crimes committed, we must have a public inquiry to lay all this out in front of people and we must have criminal charges brought against the perpetrators when that evidence is uncovered.” 

Alliance Colr. Rachael Ferguson added her party’s support saying: “Society failed them, the State, Church failed them. And I think we all need to take responsibility, the church needs to take responsibility, be open and honest and apologise, compensate and convict.

“But this needs to be about what the victims and survivors need and want, making their stories the only priority; help them heal from the pain and not to be overshadowed by a fight over blame between State and Church. We need to use their stories to educate our society, empowering our young girls never to allow someone to call them shameful or ‘fallen’.”

SDLP Colr. Martin Reilly paid tribute to those who shared “their story, their background and done so in a very compelling and compassionate way”.

Sinn Féin Colr. Patricia Logue made an amendment to the Motion saying the reason it was made was ‘because we feel the victims and survivors should be the co-authors of the way forward and we shouldn’t be dictating what comes next. We feel they should be at the heart of any process going forward.”

The amendment read: ‘Council supports the Executive position of an investigation that is victim and survivor led and one which they will decide for themselves whether it is on a statutory footing or not.’

The amendment passed with 36 votes for, one against and one abstention and the amended motion was carried unanimously. 

Gillian Anderson 

Local Democracy Reporter