NORTHERN IRELAND
Kildare Nationalist
Public hearings into allegations of historical child abuse in church and state-run homes in Northern Ireland will begin later today.
An inquiry headed by a former senior judge is examining the extent of wrongdoing in children’s homes, orphanages, industrial schools, workhouses, borstals, hospital units and schools for young people with disabilities. Many were run by religious orders which at the time largely evaded scrutiny.
Sir Anthony Hart’s probe was ordered by Northern Ireland’s ministerial executive after the problem was found to be endemic across similar institutions in the Republic of Ireland and claims of mistreatment of victims north of the border.
The expert panel will investigate whether sexual, emotional or physical harm was inflicted upon children and if there were systemic failings by institutions or the state in their duties towards children in their care between 1922 and 1995.
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