Stormont crisis: Abuse survivors consider legal action over apology

Survivors of abuse in Northern Ireland children’s homes are considering legal action to force an apology from a representative of the state in the absence of a first and deputy first minister, the News Letter understands.
By Niall Deeney
Published 3rd Feb 2022, 19:36 BST
Abuse survivor Margaret McGuckin said victims had been repeatedly let down by governmentAbuse survivor Margaret McGuckin said victims had been repeatedly let down by government
Abuse survivor Margaret McGuckin said victims had been repeatedly let down by government

It was announced last month, exactly five years after a public inquiry recommended an official apology on behalf of the Stormont government for the abuse inflicted on children in residential homes and other institutions across Northern Ireland, that Paul Givan and Michelle O’Neill would make the apology in March.

But with no first minister or deputy first minister in place, abuse survivors are set to miss out.

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Margaret McGuckin, from lobby group SAVIA (Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse), said it is the latest setback in a years-long campaign.

The public inquiry, which was led by the late Sir Anthony Hart and found abuse was “widespread” at institutions run by the state, churches and other organisations in Northern Ireland between 1922 and 1995, also recommended compensation for victims.

But long delays followed by another Stormont collapse meant it ultimately fell to the UK government to put a redress scheme in place, and many victims who would have been entitled to compensation sadly passed away before it was established.

The apology, five years on from the inquiry, could now follow the same path.

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Ms McGuckin said: “Always, throughout this campaign, victims seem to get shut out every step of the way, every single time.

“We have had to fight for an inquiry, even for someone to listen to us. As children we were shunned and ignored and beaten for even daring to tell the truth. We weren’t believed then. It was rejection throughout all of our lives.

“People had dared to hope that we would be treated with respect. When the announcement was made that there would be an apology it was like a weight was lifted from me.

“But every step of the way our government has let us down. We have had to be out on the streets lobbying, getting petitions, campaigning.

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“They wouldn’t even claim ownership of it – the first and deputy first minister had to take ownership of it because none of the departments wanted it.”

She added: “We had to trail them, we had to threaten legal action for that announcement on the anniversary of the Hart Inquiry findings.

“That’s the only reason they did that.”

Asked if she would accept an apology from another state representative, such as the head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, she said: “Can we wait any longer? We can never trust them to ever get in place again. It’s something that has to happen. They can’t snatch that away from us now.”