Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated at 10.32am
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL HAS added its voice to the calls for a full investigation into the ‘Tuam babies’ revelations.
It follows yesterday’s confirmation that a Government task force is to examine the issue, and report back by the end of the month.
Children’s Minister Charlie Flanagan said the review would not just be limited to Tuam, as the controversy had “brought to the fore the situation in other Mother and Baby Homes throughout the country”.
In a statement, Amnesty says it note the reports of a cross-departmental government examination, but that “any such process must have – or be quickly followed by a process with – the necessary hallmarks of independence, effectiveness and transparency”.
“A thorough investigation must be carried out into how these children died and if ill-treatment, neglect or other human rights abuses factored into their deaths,” Europe Director of Amnesty John Dalhuisen said.
We also need to know why these children were not afforded the respect of a proper and dignified burial.
According to Amnesty:
The international human rights framework of law emerged during the period in which these children lived and died.
If the home closed in 1961, it is possible that some of the deaths occurred at a time when the European Convention on Human Rights was in force.
Even before then, Ireland was aware of the internationally agreed norms expected of it in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Meanwhile, the Sisters of Bon Secours have said they welcome the Government announcement of an investigation.
They said last night in a statement they were “shocked” by the recent reports:
The Sisters of Bon Secours today said they were shocked and deeply saddened by recent reports about St Mary’s Mother and Baby Home, which operated in Tuam, County Galway from 1925 to 1961.In 1961 the Home was closed. All records were returned to the local authority, and would now be within the Health Service Executive, Co. Galway.
The Bon Secours Sisters say they are committed to engaging with Catherine Corless, the Graveyard Committee and the local residents as constructively as they can on the graves initiative connected with the site.
The Sisters welcome the recent Government announcement to initiate an investigation, in an effort to establish the full truth of what happened.
Speaking last night, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he wanted to know if there were similar graves in other parts of the country.
When asked about an independent investigation, Kenny said Minister Flanagan was keeping him informed on what would be the best structure to put in place.
First posted at 8.09am.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
I loved Darwin in ‘The Field’. He was mighty altogether as The Bull McCabe!
Genius doesn’t do Darwin justice a magnificent mind and a titan of science. The scary thing is that misinformation and a campaign against evolution and scientific evidence is outgoing by Creationists particular in America.
As REM lyrics go Mr Charles Darwin had the gall to ask yeah yeah yeah yeah.
Excellent post.
Genius doesn’t do Darwin justice a magnificent mind and a titan of science”
– quite correct – but we must not forget Wallace as well – who after a lifetime of work came to same conclusions – sadly a largely forgotten man .
Very true Jim
I was in Darwin in Nth West Australia in 1974 when cyclone Tracey flattened the city and killed a lot of people. Every 40 years a major cyclone hits Darwin. Weird yesterday to find on the 40th year
storm Darwin hits Ireland.
I was just about to say that I am glad to see a storm named after a man, after so many of them are given female names. Still not balanced, but we are getting there…
Plastic Sheeting referred to the storm as “she” on the news yesterday
Yes. Apparently we need some LGBTItdi names for the sake of the loonies.
Such as?
Hurricane Panti – getting Iona’s knickers in a twist ;)
Hurricane names are given male or female names every second time. So, stop seeing discrimination where there is none. Balance is already carefully built in.
The great man’s revelations cerainly caused a mighty storm at the time – my hero.
A bit sexist calling the storm after a male…it will lead to a mysandristc society if this type of thing is not stamped out now…oh wait now : \
Was he related to the Bull McCabe by any chance?
It’s ‘misandristic’.
Not to worry, blame it on a man and demand a quota.
well I hear PAC have the full list if storms for 2014 and Darwin is not on it,,,,they are “outraged” and are going to call in each for for a “grilling” as they pass over to find out the truth!!!!
Should have called the storm Monica…
It had the whole country and her knee’s….
Praying that is ,that everything would be ok ……
Next up Hurricane Phil a spinning whorl of low pressure flailing in to oblivion.
The above image suggests the merging of our Phil with a deceptively violent weather system over his shoulder. This was moving when the clip was on TV. Perhaps it will suck him away to the spinning void or some equally unpleasant outpost of oblivion this weekend.
Suggest to the forecasters that they could name every cloud and see where that takes us.
have your say