Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Royal Black parades to mark end of the season
Abuse survivors being Inquiry findings still not failed by absent politicians acted upon after 19 months 28 institutions probed in £10m study Stand up ...and be counted
THE final parade of the season takes place today as the Royal Black Institution holds its Last Saturday demonstration.
Almost 18,000 members and supporters will join the event with around 350 preceptories involved.
Six towns and villages – Newtownards, Larne, Ballymena, Cookstown, Donemana and Limavady – are hosting marches.
Sovereign Grand Master Rev William Anderson will be in Cookstown.
He said yesterday: “I trust and pray the parades will be wonderful and memorable occasions for all involved.
“I wish all Sir Knights, preceptories and districts a fantastic day as we come together in Christian fellowship to celebrate our cultural heritage.”
The largest parade is being held in Newtownards, Co Down.
In Co Antrim, around 75 preceptories will take part in festivities in Larne.
A similar number of bands will join the Cookstown parade in Co Tyrone. Preceptories from Cavan and Monaghan will also attend.
In Donemana, the 20th anniversary of the Omagh bomb will be marked.
The Co Derry parade in Limavady will include 35 preceptories while the City of Belfast Grand Black Chapter’s march will be held in Ballymena. THE “open wounds” of institutional abuse victims are “festering” as the Assembly lies dormant, a campaigner warned yesterday.
Sir Anthony Hart delivered the outcome of his independent inquiry into the scandal just days before Stormont collapsed in January 2017.
In it, he said children who suffered at the hands of State and Church between 1922 and 1995 should be compensated and provided with support.
But 19 months on, they have received neither. That’s why we are backing them in our support of the #wedeservebetter campaign.
Margaret Mcguckin of Survivors NI told the Mirror the politicians’ failure to get back to work and address the report has left victims distraught.
She said: “How can they do this to us? It’s like being rejected and abused and thrown to one side all over again.
“It’s not about the religious divide here. It’s about children and babies that were put into State and Church care being abused even as young children.
“Many of us are mentally, emotionally and physically ill and we are still being abused by the present Government.
“They can go out there and say after the Hart inquiry, ‘This should never have happened’ but they are doing it to us now. How dare they?
“They are ruining people’s lives. Everybody has opened up their secrets and told everything. Their open wounds are festering.
“We are encouraging people not to give up hope but our Government won’t give them closure.
“They have made it worse because they opened up in the hope the Government in this generation would be different than 50 years ago. But it’s not, it’s even worse.”
More than £10million was spent on the Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry. It probed the mistreatment of more than 500 youngsters in 22 children’s homes, borstals, training schools, juvenile justice centres, hospitals and orphanages.
Sir Anthony’s team also considered the experiences of those shipped off to Australia and who suffered at the hands
The Historical Institutional Abuse inquiry cost £10million
Allegations were made against 65 institutions of which 22 were investigated fully and a further six probed of Fr Brendan Smyth. He delivered his report to the First and Deputy First Ministers on January 6, 2017. Just four days later, Stormont collapsed.
Sir Anthony concluded survivors should be given an apology, a memorial and compensation. He also recommended they be offered specialist care.
Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty International told the Mirror: “Victims of abuse have been left twisting in the wind with no official acknowledgement, no apology and no redress.
“This is a clear dereliction of duty by politicians both at
Stormont and at
493 people engaged with the inquiry – 308 from Northern Ireland, 82 from England, 63 from Australia and 22 from the Republic. The rest came from Wales, Scotland, Europe and North America. Join the
movement on Tuesday, August 28, at one of the events being held across Northern Ireland – and let YOUR voice be heard. The events will be held at 7pm in:
Strabane (The Tinnies)
Derry (Guildhall Square)
Portadown (Town centre square)
Dungannon (Market Square)
Ards
Newry (Albert Basin)
Ballyclare (Brown’s Coffee Co)
Belfast City Hall North Coast (Portrush East Strand)
Armagh (Market Street)
Enniskillen (Castle Basin)
Banbridge (Newry Street)
Newcastle
Bangor (Mckee Clock)
Warrenpoint (Town Square – 7.30pm) Westminster. All should hang their heads in shame that they have caused unnecessary suffering to people who have suffered so much already.
“What is clear is that Northern Ireland not only needs government, it needs good government.”
One such victim was Billy Mcconville. He was targeted in an orphanage after his mother Jean was killed by the IRA.
Billy died last year without so much as an apology – but Mrs Mcguckin said he is one of many.
She added: “Every other girl I was in the home with has died. They had such a short life span because of no nourishment and being neglected.
“Many people are really ill. They have mental health problems. Who knows what tomorrow holds?”
The Executive Office has acknowledged “the report’s recommendations cannot be put in place” but claims draft Bills are being developed behind the scenes.
Mrs Mcguckin said a second judicial review hearing on the matter is to be heard in the coming weeks while campaigners “met with Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds three weeks ago”.
She added: “[Mrs Foster] decided to make a statement but we are still waiting on something to happen.”