The BBC reports that the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry in Northern Ireland is to launch a promotional campaign in an attempt to get more victims to come forward. The campaign will be launched in Belfast today.
The inquiry began work last October and is examining the extent of child abuse in the Catholic Church and state-run institutions in Northern Ireland. It was established following the damning Ryan Report in the Irish Republic that uncovered decades of endemic abuse in some religious institutions.
The posters will be put up on 80 bus shelters around Northern Ireland as well as being distributed to organisations in the UK and Ireland. Anyone who wants to talk about the historical abuse they may have suffered in Northern Ireland are asked to call 0800 068 4935 where they can talk in confidence.
www.abuselaw.co.uk covered a news story back in March 2011 about the case of Deirdre Harper, a 57 year old mother and grandmother, living in Birkby, Huddersfield. Deirdre (then known as Deirdre O’Donoghue) claimed she was subjected to systematic and brutal abuse at the hands of the Catholic nuns who ran Nazareth House in Belfast, which was her home for eight years in the 1960s. She told her story in the hope that it would help to expose the evil that went on in the home and in many other institutions in Northern Ireland.
[Simpson Millar can help victims of abuse claim compensation as well as providing information about the vast network of survivor groups that exist in the UK. if you have been the victim of abuse contact one of our expert abuse solicitors by calling 0845 604 7075 or alternatively email one of our solicitors by clicking on the team page. Your call will be handled in the strictest of confidence.]
