WRDA Led Women’s Policy Group Calls for Urgent Action on Redress for Survivors of Mother and Baby Institutions and Magdalene Laundries
29 September 2025 - The WRDA led Women’s Policy Group Northern Ireland (WPG NI) has submitted a comprehensive response to the Committee for the Executive Office regarding the Inquiry and Redress Scheme Bill, calling for immediate and meaningful action to address the legacy of institutional abuse suffered by thousands of women and children in Mother and Baby Homes, Magdalene Laundries, and related institutions.
The submission, prepared by WPG members Elaine Crory, Meghan Hoyt (WRDA), and Dervilia Kernaghan (Women’s Platform), outlines the systemic misogyny and state-sanctioned violence that underpinned these institutions. It calls for the Inquiry to be firmly grounded in international human rights law, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Istanbul Convention.
The WPG submission highlights:
The need for immediate redress payments and access to records for survivors and their families.
The importance of co-designed memorials and official apologies, delivered publicly and recorded in Hansard.
A call to reframe systemic failings as systemic misogyny, recognising the intentional harm inflicted.
The necessity of trauma-informed support services, including long-term psychological care.
The inclusion of cross-border cases and private institutions in the scope of the Inquiry.
The group also urges the government to ensure that redress payments are adjusted for inflation, tax-free, and do not impact social security benefits.
The WRDA led WPG NI continues to advocate for a feminist, rights-based approach to policy and law, informed by the lived experiences of women and girls across Northern Ireland.
-ENDS-
For further information please contact:
Elaine Crory – elaine.crory@wrda.net
Meghan Hoyt – meghan.hoyt@wrda.net