The Shame of Ireland
Some formatting etc may be lost, the original is here https://cathyfox.wordpress.com/2017/06/12/quest-for-justice-for-sur...
Derek Leinster has done a massive amount to bring attention to the Bethany Homes.
The problem he has had is that Bethany Homes was Protestant mother and baby home in a Catholic Country with a Government and Church which disgracefully wanted to distance themselves from almost any responsibility whatsoever.
The 2015 Baby & Mother Commission is the first time that Protestants will have been included in any of the Irish State Inquiry’s, in the history of the state. All the 6 state Inquiries since 1970 included only Catholic Homes and Institutions.
Derek has written two books on his childhood to bring attention to the plight of survivors in Bethany Homes
2005 Derek Leinster Hannah’s Shame: True Life Story [4]
2008 Derek Leinster – Destiny Unknown [3]
The government has always tried to say that the Bethany Home was a private B & M home and did not come under the state redress scheme. The redress scheme was originally designed to compensate victims with least fuss.
Various excuses have been made. The said there were no records – this was proved wrong It took Derek 14 years to get his records. They said it was not regulated by the state – this was proved wrong, they said it was a mother and baby home and not covered yet other mother and baby homes were included under the redress scheme.
The difference was the Indemnity Agreement – 18 religious orders paid into the redress scheme and were given indemnity, with the government picking up all future abuse claims – but full details about the amounts paid in and out are opaque. This scheme seems to be in favour of the religious institutions and what happened to the children and institutions who did not have a religious lobby?
The survivors have had to fight every step of the way after suffering abuse whilst under the care of the state. Shameful. There was neglect and the state knew about it.
This programme from RTE outlined the problems. HT to D from Operation Greenlight database [6] for video
In 2016 Derek Leinster was forced to go to the European Court of Human Rights, 23 years after he first started campaigning for recognition. As he has not been able to get the protection of the Irish Courts, he hopes EHCR will set out where the Irish State is wrong. The case is still ongoing.
Bethany Homes also exported children to Fegans Homes for boys. One was in England at Stony Stratford in Buckinghamshire, now near Milton Keynes, which further exported the children to work on farms in Canada. Child migration so that the children could be used as slave labour.
227 children and babies from Bethany Home in unmarked pauper graves in Mount Jemore whose lives were cut short.
Derek also passed on these personal records he has now managed to obtain, including finding out he was illegally adopted [See Appendix 1]
There are also emails, which show how reluctant the authorities were to release anything [see Appendix 3] [HT to Daedulus for redaction]
My apologies that for several reasons the article does not do proper justice to how hard Derek has worked to expose the abuse at Bethany Homes, how bad the abuse was and the subsequent unfairness that they faced in trying to bring attention to the abuse. However it was better to get something published than wait longer.
Appendix 1
Appendix 4
The Bethany Home Case
Please note that victims of abuse may be triggered by reading this information. These links are generally UK based.
Links
[1] 2016 Aug 1 Irish Journal Bethany Home survivor takes first step in bringing case to human rights court http://www.thejournal.ie/bethany-home-court-of-human-rights-2900109...
[2] 2013 May 13 Broadcast RTE News Prime Time
Needleblog Video Channel RTE Bethany – The home the State forgot https://youtu.be/mLvsWFJdy0g
[3] 2008 Dec 1 Amazon Derek Leinster – Destiny Unknown Paperback – 1 Dec 2008 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Destiny-Derek-Leinster/dp/0955145716/ref=s...
[4] 2005 Sep 30 Amazon Derek Leinster Hannah’s Shame: True Life Story Paperback – 30 Sep 2005 https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Hannahs-Shame-True-Life-Story-Derek-...
[5] Derek Leinster website http://www.derekleinster.com
[6] Operation Greenlight database https://theneedleblog.wordpress.com/operation-greenlight/
[A] Sanctuary for the Abused http://abusesanctuary.blogspot.co.uk/2006/07/for-survivors-coping-w...
[B] NAPAC http://www.napac.org.uk/
[C] One in Four http://www.oneinfour.org.uk/
[D] Havoca http://www.havoca.org/HAVOCA_home.htm
[E] SurvivorsJustice Triggers post http://survivorsjustice.com/2014/02/26/triggers-what-are-they-and-h...
[F] SurvivorsJustice Blog http://survivorsjustice.com/
[G] Jim Hopper Mindfulness http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/
[H] Jim Hopper Meditation http://www.jimhopper.com/mindfulness/#cultivate
[J] 2016 Jan 5 Hwaairfan blog An Indigenous Australian Approach to Healing Trauma https://hwaairfan.wordpress.com/2016/01/05/an-indigenous-australian...
[K] Survivors UK website for victims and survivors of male rape or the sexual abuse of men https://www.survivorsuk.org/ and twitter https://twitter.com/SurvivorsUK
[L] Voicing CSA website – http://voicingcsa.uk/ helps arrange survivors meetings in your area. Voicing CSA supports the IICSA and VSCP and works to help adult survivors of child sexual abuse find their voice
[M] A Prescription for me blog Various emotional support links https://aprescriptionforme.wordpress.com/help/#emotionalsupport
[N] ShatterBoys -“Male Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Abuse Inspiring change, Through Shared Experience Whilst Building Connections…Together We Can Heal”. blog – https://shatterboysuk.wordpress.com/ email – shatterboysuk@gmail.com facebook – https://www.facebook.com/shatterboysuk/?fref=ts twitter – @Shatter_Boys_UK
This is all written in good faith but if there is anything that needs to be corrected or you wish to write to me please email bethanyjune2017@cathyfox.33mail.com quoting the article title
the truth will out, the truth will shout, the truth will set us free
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” – Edmund Burke
“He who does not bellow the truth when he knows the truth makes himself the accomplice of liars and forgers.” Charles Peguy
To sin by silence when we should protest makes cowards out of men – Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Every time we act in the face of fear, we dilute it’s power and increase our confidence – via Gary Havener
Only the small secrets need to be protected, the large ones are kept secret by public incredulity – Marshall McLuhan
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