UNITED KINGDOM
The Guardian
Henry McDonald, Ireland correspondent
theguardian.com, Monday 13 January 2014
The inquiry investigating institutional child abuse by members of the clergy in Northern Ireland needs to be extended to England and Wales, say campaigners.
Stop Church Child Abuse welcomed the opening on Monday of the investigation into 13 orphanages and children’s homes but said it was now time for the government to roll the inquiry out across Britain.
Jonathan Wheeler, a lawyer who deals with child abuse cases in Britain and a founding member of Stop Church Child Abuse said: “The start of this inquiry will be a relief to the alleged victims, allowing them to take heart in the fact that a process intended to bring them justice is at last under way. Lessons must also be learned by the authorities and all those responsible for the care of young children to prevent this kind of abuse from ever happening again.
“We have been calling for a similar overarching inquiry in England and Wales. The government has refused but if Northern Ireland can tackle the issue, then why should survivors here be denied their say and the proper scrutiny of all they have suffered?”
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