Adopted children should be given Irish passports

I would like to support the report of the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council (June 14) who found Ireland in breach of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights "by colluding in the arbitrary incarceration of women and girls in mother and baby homes" and also "by denying Irish people trafficked to the US a right to their nationality".

The report states that the babies and children who were trafficked “have been denied their Irish nationality, in fact some have no knowledge at all that they were born Irish citizens”.

All of us present day Irish citizens should demand that this state offers free of charge and as a matter or urgency, Irish passports to all those children who were deported illegally to the Unites States during the 20th century. Whether or not their mothers “signed” adoption papers, or whether their signatures were forged or even existed, these children were citizens whose rights were taken away illegally.

The very least we can do now is to give them Irish passports as a first step in making recompense to them.

I hope that the Adoption Rights Alliance and other voluntary groups who are doing excellent work will take up this suggestion without delay.

Mark Duggan

Amiens St

Dublin 1