Campaigners demand inquiry into abuse in North

A petition demanding a full inquiry into children's treatment in institutions run by the Catholic Church and Irish State will be handed into the Northern Ireland Assembley today.

Campaigners against child abuse in the North have called for a commission to be set up to investigate the impact of abuse in the region.

It follows demands for an inquiry, similar to that of the Ryan Report that exposed widespread abuse in homes run by religious orders in the Republic.

SDLP health spokesperson Carmel Hanna said: “The Ryan Report is a watershed, a seminal moment in Irish history, 1,500 people came forward with allegations to the Ryan Commission, generations of people.

“Ryan is the gravest indictment of the powerful and the privileged in Church and state in Ireland, the religious orders, the hierarchy, successive governments and the Department of Education.

“Irish people for decades to come will ask how appalling horrors were inflicted on innocent children placed in the care of religious orders by the state. It is a terrifying account of the shattered lives of generations of Irish children.

“The relevant religious congregations operated on an all-island basis and there have been allegations and criminal convictions of some of those who were supposed to be the primary protectors of children. That is why Ryan needs to complemented and finalised by a post-script for Northern Ireland and why the Executive needs to act now.”