ICC asked to investigate mother and baby homes and Magdalene Laundries 

KRW Law has made the request on behalf of 13 mother and baby home survivors – seven from the Republic of Ireland and six from Northern Ireland – for an international investigation into alleged systematic abuses and the failure of State agencies to protect the rights of individuals. Picture: Laura Hutton/RollingNews.ie

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague has been asked to investigate the “violent legacy” of mother and baby homes, Magdalene Laundries, and industrial schools in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

A prominent legal firm in Belfast has lodged a 50-page submission to the ICC this week seeking a preliminary examination into whether the institutional abuse exposed in recent State-commissioned reports and inquiries amounted to “crimes against humanity”.