Weve all just sent this joint Press Release out as a last shot at widening the Terms Of Reference for the forthcoming Commission of Inquiry. Proud to be part of the vast vast majority of all representative groups... Press Release 12 December 2014 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Coalition of Mother And Baby home Survivors Consisting of: Adoption Rights Now; The Bethany Home Survivors: Beyond Adoption Ireland: Adopted Illegally Ireland: The Castlepollard Mother & Baby home group: the Dunboyne Mother & Baby home group and in equal partnership with: The Adoption Coalition Worldwide Irish Womens Survivors Support Network Tuam Mother/Baby/Home Survivors Remembering Bessboro group Natural Mothers Group Survivors groups jointly call upon Taoiseach, Tánaiste and Cabinet for a survivor centered, fully inclusive Inquiry that must meet the standards of a UN Inquiry. 1. Acknowledgement, Apology and Full Restorative Justice first. Since there is abundant, conclusive and irrefutable evidence through official records and eye witness testimony as to what happened in the Mother & Baby homes and the vast network of other Institutions and groups with whom they interacted, there should be an immediate Acknowledgment and Apology to all Survivors. Justice delayed is justice denied and the aging profile of the survivor community means that Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Tánaiste Joan Burton, the Cabinet, and Government must act at once. Full restorative justice must immediately follow the official Acknowledgement and Apology. Survivors stand absolutely united on this point of Principle of putting Survivors First. 2. Survivor Focused and All Inclusive. All survivors affected by the treatment of natural mothers and their children by the State and/or religious groups and/or private groups must be included and their inclusion is vital in both the Acknowledgement, Apology and Full Restorative Justice aspect, and in The Commission of Inquiry to follow. Both must be ‘Survivor Focused’ and ‘Survivor centered‘. All survivors who come forward must be recognised and treated equally. The Inquiry must be about people and not buildings, and must go Beyond the Gates. 3. Separation of Inquiry from the immediate needs of an aging Survivor Community. The Commission of Inquiry must be entirely separate from the Acknowledgement, Apology and Full Restorative Justice aspect. The Inquiry should place Survivors First, include at least one other International figure, must be timely and all inclusive and meet United Nations best practice standards. The entire network of institutions, people, adoption agencies, nursing homes, Holding Centers, etc. must be investigated in it’s totality including but not limited to: * Illegal adoptions * Placement of children in Ireland and the legal and illegal, national and international Banished Babies trade * The manner of burial in the Angel’s Plots and beyond * The three major Holding Centers; Temple Hill, Stamullen and the Nurseries in Fermoy * Discrimination against Protestants * What happened to all the babies with Special Needs * The treatment of Mixed Race survivors * The UK network for forcibly repatriating pregnant Irish women and/or their babies back to Ireland * Fathers rights * The Vaccine Trials * The “donation” of at least 461 babies bodies for medical research and student practice * County Homes * The role of the Adoption Agencies particularly Saint Patricks Guild * The two Regina Coeli hostels 4. Memorials Funding for Memorials for all the Angels Plots to be made available immediately in line with the Bethany Home Memorial in Mount Jerome. Only non invasive Memorials to be erected by representative survivor groups associated with each Home until agreement is reached regarding forensic investigation of the Angels Plots. ENDS Notes: The Coalition of Mother And Baby home Survivors (CMABS) join in equal partnership with a number of other groups, The Adoption Coalition Worldwide Irish Womens Survivors Support Network Tuam Mother/Baby/Home Survivors Natural Mothers (Ireland) Mixed Race Irish Remembering Bessboro group in endorsing this statement containing the common core principles of the numerous groups. CMABS is an umbrella group that came together in late 2013 to jointly submit a complaint to the UN Committee Against Torture. It is by far the largest representative group of survivors. Their motto is: “No one gets left behind”. They are still proceeding with their UN CAT complaint to ensure all survivors are treated equally. NB; This collective of groups is the largest collection of representative groups ever to join together for our common cause and represents a giant step forward for mutual cooperation.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 15:52:31 +0000
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