Labour launches bill to make religious orders pay for redress schemes

Labour leader Ivana Bacik has written Taoiseach Simon Harris, calling for the government to ensure that religious orders fully contribute to any redress scheme addressing the systemic child sexual abuse uncovered in Ireland’s educational institutions.

Bacik has urged that the Government support Labour’s “Civil Liability (Child Sexual Abuse Proceedings Unincorporated Bodies of Persons) Bill 2024,” which they say would make it easier for survivors to seek justice from religious orders and their associated trusts.

The Dublin Bay South TD said “we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all those brave survivors and victims who have shown such tremendous courage in coming forward to disclose that they were abused. These individuals have shone a vitally important light into a very dark corner of the Irish education system, exposing horrors that should never have been allowed to happen.”

“However, despite the passage of time and the revelations of institutional abuse, many of the fundamental power imbalances remain. Victims are often retraumatised by flawed redress processes or dragged through lengthy legal proceedings, due to the reluctance of religious orders to fully engage in delivering justice.”

She said that Labour’s bill would look to tackle the issues faced by survivors by facilitating civil proceedings against unincorporated bodies, such as religious orders, and providing a mechanism for recovering damages from the ‘associated’ trusts of these bodies.

“Clearly, we cannot simply appeal to the moral duty of religious orders to ensure victims receive the justice they deserve. The slow pace of action, the avoidance of responsibility, and the legal obfuscations seen so far indicate the need for a stronger legislative framework. The Labour Party’s Bill is essential for creating that pathway to justice. Religious orders cannot be allowed to delay and avoid accountability any longer.

“We in Labour welcomed the Government’s decision to establish a Statutory Inquiry into institutional abuse but emphasised the need for a parallel Redress Scheme to run alongside the Commission of Investigation.  This will ensure that survivors don’t have to wait even longer for justice. Religious orders must be compelled to pay their fair share towards such a scheme, as they were complicit in these egregious abuses.

“We welcome the Government’s openness to working with opposition parties on this crucial issue, and we respect the courage and wishes of survivors who have been clear that they expect accountability. The Government must stand firm in backing survivors and ensuring that religious orders take financial responsibility. Additionally, we need to see faster progress in the divestment of schools from religious orders to remove their influence over our education system once and for all.”