WRDA welcomes the unanimous passing of the Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) Redress Scheme Bill

On 30th June, hours before the Assembly went into summer recess, a unanimous vote took place in the Assembly chamber, passing the final stage of the Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) Redress Scheme Bill. Following this, the Assembly members stood and applauded those survivors in the public gallery who had come to see the Bill pass, many of whom had given evidence during the earlier stages of the Bill and who had campaigned for years to see this day.

The Bill is not perfect, but it is very significant. It establishes an inquiry which offers survivors a number of ways to participate and to share their experiences, and it offers a standardised redress payment from the outset. It does this because of the careful work of the Assembly and the Committee for the Executive Office which took seriously and listened – finally – to the campaigners who told them that this is what was needed. It was evidence, sometimes thin on the ground, of what can be achieved if parties work across party lines to focus on the issue at hand.

Speeches yesterday at the final stage were significant. It was meaningful to hear MLAs from across the aisles recognising that the practice was rooted in institutionalised misogyny and acknowledging the deep wounds caused to the individuals impacted and to their wider family across generations. Perhaps the most significant contribution came from Áine Murphy MLA, who told the Assembly that her own mother was born in a Mother and Baby Institution. Acknowledging her mother seated in the public gallery, she said:

“the wounds left by rejection, secrecy and institutional mistreatment run too deep for any statute to fully heal. What we can do, however, is to confront that history honestly. We recognise that those who endured such experiences were failed by systems that should have protected them. We reject the prejudice and judgement that were imposed on them, and we will ensure that their experiences are no longer hidden, dismissed or forgotten. Most importantly, we can offer what should have been given long ago: recognition, dignity and the assurance that their place in our history will be acknowledged with truth and respect.”

The passing of the Bill was a significant day for Northern Ireland and for survivors generally; if we can learn from other schemes and address those flaws, and if an Assembly often at odds on matters both grave and trivial can come together to ensure that excellent legislation can pass, then any jurisdiction can do so with the right political will.