Paul Murphy: Calls for Redress for Industrial and Psychiatric Abuse
Paul Murphy addressed historic abuse in industrial schools and psychiatric hospitals, urging immediate redress and implementation of promised supports. He backed hunger strikers' demands and called on the government to deliver apologies, health amendment act cards and state contributory pensions, and to open inquiries where none exist.
Hunger strikers and survivors' demands
He quoted Mary Dunleavy Green, one of the hunger strikers, and outlined the strikers' long campaign for basic redress. Murphy highlighted the 46 days it took for a mediator to be appointed and 51 days before the government committed to engage, and reiterated the strikers' calls for a health amendment act card and a state contributory pension in line with what was offered to other survivors. He noted there are around 4,000 living survivors of abuse in industrial schools who cannot be made to wait.
Government apology and the need for action
Murphy welcomed the state's apology but insisted it must be followed by tangible action. He said supports announced by the government are overdue and not yet fully in place, and warned he and others will apply significant pressure in the legislature to ensure survivors receive the promised measures without further delay.
Historic abuse in psychiatric hospitals
Murphy raised the case brought to him by Mary Donovan about her mother, Margaret Mary Donovan, institutionalized from age 16 in 1966 and kept for over 50 years despite nursing notes stating "there appears to be very little wrong mentally with her yet she remained institutionalized." He recounted allegations of mistreatment, rape and forced labour in psychiatric hospitals and described the severe impact on Mary Donovan's brother Christopher, who spent more than 20 years in a psychiatric hospital and died there in 2007.
Calls for inquiry and political responsibility
Murphy urged the government to initiate inquiries and offer redress and apologies for psychiatric institutions as it has for other settings. He warned against forcing another group to protest for basic recognition of the wrongs the state committed, and demanded the government "get ahead of it" and address the issue promptly.
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we were child slaves we got very little portions of food we were deprived of every human right a capitation grant was paid by the state to the religious orders to keep us there they gagged us we weren't allowed to speak afterwards or name an institution or a perpetrator the words of mary dunleavy green one of the hunger strikers who fought for redress from the government for its part and the state's part in its abuse i mean the horrors can't be overstated i remember going out to meet with them and they were bravely on their hunger strike um not seeing any road in terms of justice and just the horror that these people went through for which the state was responsible and therefore it's it's welcome that the state gives an apology but it absolutely has to be followed by action and i do think like we can't just forget how long it took to get to this point not just in in years but in terms of the days 46 days of the hunger strike for a mediator to be put in place 51 days for the government to commit to work with the hunger strikers in relation to their very simple demands including the award of a health amendment act card a state contributory pension for the abuse that they suffered in their childhood and in line to be clear and this is the point they always made in line with what had been offered to other survivors of similar institutions it's good the government has announced supports for survivors it has been very very long they're not all in place now they need to come in place if they're not we will be putting very significant pressure in here to make sure that they that they do and they're not forced to contact us to say we keep hearing that things are going to be resolved and things don't seem to be resolved there's around 4 000 living survivors of abuse in industrial schools that they can't be made to wait they have to get this the very very least that they're entitled to and also want to raise a related issue of abuse which has been ignored which is the historic abuse that occurred in psychiatric hospitals i've been speaking to mary donovan about her mother margaret mary donovan who was institutionalized for nearly her entire life she spent over 50 years in both state-run and religious institutions across ireland from the age of 16 in 1966 nursing notes said quote there appears to be very little wrong mentally with her yet she remained institutionalized included in the allegations against these psychiatric institutions are mistreatment rape and forced labor the abuse also severely impacted the life of mary's brother christopher who had spent over 20 years in a psychiatric hospital and died there in 2007 the abuse he had suffered saw him go from what was described as a big man to a skeleton and develop numerous other issues including schizophrenia there's no inquiry in place in relation to psychiatric institutions there's no redress has been offered no apology has been offered this government this issue was coming the government should get ahead of it address it inquiry into it and not force another group of people to have to protest for a basic recognition of the wrongs that the state did to them and an apology
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