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Survivors of institutional abuse stage protest in Belfast to highlight lack of progress by government

Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA and FR Patrick McCafferty at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.
Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA and FR Patrick McCafferty at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.
By Marie Louise McConville

Survivors of institutional abuse have held a protest in Belfast to highlight a lack of progress by the government in implementing the findings and recommendations of the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry.

Members of SAVIA (Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse) came together at Belfast city hall today to call on the political parties to take action.

A Stormont impasse means that the findings of a four-year inquiry into state and church abuse have still not been presented to the assembly.

An enquiry report, which was published just days before Stormont collapsed in January, promised victims state-backed compensation payments of up to £100,000.

However. five months on, no payments have been made because of the political crisis.

Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA,at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.
Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA,at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.

Speaking yesterday, SAVIA spokeswoman, Margaret McGuckin said people had been "left in limbo, literally while nothing has been happening".

She said victims are "very, very angry that the government did not act when Sir Anthony Hart released the statement in November 2015 stating that there would be compensation not just redress and that was giving the Government the time to set up the mechanisms, all that was needed, whether it was legislation or whatever, to have this ready and they refused, they didn't do it.

Ms McGuckin said victims had been left to "waste away and just pass away".

The victims campaigner said DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson had written to the SAVIA group to reiterate that his party "stands ready to work with the other local parties in Northern Ireland to ensure that the implementation of the Hart Report is addressed as a matter of priority".

Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA,at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.
Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA,at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.

Mr Donaldson encouraged the group to "approach Sinn Féin to see if they too would be willing to join a cross-party approach to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to try and find a way forward that will enable implementation of the Hart Report".

Ms McGuckin said she had contacted Sinn Féin regarding the letter.

"If they fully support us, let's see a bit of action now," she said.

Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA and FR Patrick McCafferty at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.
Margaret McGuckin of pressure group SAVIA and FR Patrick McCafferty at the survivors Vigil outside Belfast City Hall Picture by Hugh Russell.

A Sinn Féin spokesman said the party "has always fully supported the victims and survivors of historic abuse".

“We welcomed the publication of the panel report from the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry recommending redress payments," he said.

“Michelle O'Neill (the party's leader in the north) has raised this issue during talks with the British Government.

“We want to see the compensation scheme put in place as quickly as possible given that many victims/survivors are elderly and in poor health.”