Justice for abused victims in Protestant homes

The Irish Examiner is to be congratulated for publishing Shaun Connolly’s article (Jul 4) and also Victoria White’s article (Jul 5).

Both articles are exposing the very sad part of Irish society that existed yesterday and, sadly, still exists today.

If Ireland, and the island of Ireland, is to gain from the Good Friday Agreement we have to accept that where wrong is being done in our name it must be stopped.

One of the biggest examples of a grave wrong against a minority group relates to those who happened to be born or associated with a Protestant home, such as the Bethany Home and the Westbank. It is now very clear to all that these abused children have got the records to prove their case in spite of the best efforts of government departments stopping them from doing so.

The civil servants responsible for the Redress Bill have done all in their power to obstruct justice for these people, but now that we have found the 219 unmarked graves in Mount Jerome the people of Ireland, irrespective of what religion, do not want this injustice done in their name.

Alan Shatter, the Minister of Justice, must recognise that Irish people do not want to see any government department discriminating against any minority group. He must make the issue his priority in giving justice to these people. We are beyond excuses. We need action now.

The Redress Bill was set up in 2002 for the purpose of making it easier for abused people to get justice. It was set up in a form where the minister of the day would not have to have it passed by the Dáil, so that he could have a new home added on to the list without a vote.

Why has that been good enough for the majority of people, who would have been Catholics, while non- Catholics have been excluded? This is against the 1908 Children’s Act, the Irish Constitution, the Good Friday Agreement, and Article 19 of the UN.

Derek Linster

42 Southey Road

Rugby

England