The Truth Recovery Independent Panel, established by The Executive Office in 2023, has published its final report following a three-year investigation that collected testimony from almost 300 victims-survivors, relatives and others, and preserved more than 5,500 archival records.
The report represents a significant step towards truth, acknowledgement and accountability for those affected by Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and workhouses. The 10-member Panel, which included three victims-survivors, created a trauma-informed, non-adversarial space for people to share their experiences as part of a unique truth recovery process that will inform a future public inquiry.
The evidence gathered forms the largest collection of lived-experience testimony ever assembled in Northern Ireland on these institutions.
Key findings
- 12,062 women and girls are estimated to have been admitted to Mother and Baby Institutions.
- 3,750 women and girls are estimated to have been admitted to Magdalene Laundries and Thorndale Industrial Home.
- The Panel found clear evidence of discrimination against women and girls.
- Serious human rights concerns were identified, including potential failures in state oversight of institutions, foster care, boarding-out and adoption systems.
- New evidence highlighted issues relating to family separation, adoption practices, cross-border movement of children and the role of some private nursing homes.
Working with the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), the Panel also gathered, digitised and analysed more than 5,500 records from institutions and organisations, many of which had never previously been accessed by researchers.
Recommendations
The report makes 70 recommendations, including:
- 28 recommendations for the forthcoming public inquiry.
- 39 recommendations for the Northern Ireland Executive.
- The creation of a permanent independent archive for institutional records.
- Improved access to personal records for victims-survivors and their families.
- Further investigation into institutions, practices and individuals identified during the Panel's work.
Professor Leanne McCormick, Professor of Modern Irish Social History at Ulster University and Co-Chair of the Independent Panel alongside Sean O’Connell. They said:
“This report marks a significant milestone in the pursuit of truth and justice for victims-survivors who spent time in these institutions. Today we pay tribute to their fortitude and resilience.
“They [victims-survivors] have been fundamental to our understanding of what took place in the institutions and the enduring impacts, enabling us to offer our analysis, revealing the hidden history of the institutions and the associated pathways and practices.”
The Co-Chairs said the report had significantly advanced understanding of how these institutions operated in Northern Ireland, highlighting recurring themes of gender-based discrimination, human rights abuses and family separation.
They added:
“Carrying out this work has been a humbling experience. This is the most important work we will ever have the privilege of carrying out.
“We have presented our report to victims-survivors and shared it with the First and deputy First Ministers. It is now for the Executive and a public inquiry to take this forward.”
The Panel's findings, testimony and archive of records will provide a substantial evidence base for the forthcoming public inquiry and ensure the experiences of victims-survivors and their families are permanently recorded as part of Northern Ireland's history.
