An Irish inquiry into the alarming death rate of newborns at church-run homes for unmarried mothers handed down its final report on Tuesday, laying bare one of the Roman Catholic Church’s darkest chapters.
The report, which examined 18 institutions, said that about one in seven children, or 9,000, died in Church care. It said that nobody raised any alarm about the high death rates.
Prime minister Micheal Martin will make a formal apology to those affected by the scandal and will provide financial recognition and laws to support excavation, exhumation and, where possible, identification of remains, the government said in a statement.
"It's difficult to conceive of the scale of the tragedy and the heartbreak behind that figure of 9,000 children and babies," said Ireland's minister for children, Roderic O'Gorman.
"The report makes clear that for decades, Ireland had a stifling, oppressive and brutally misogynistic culture, where a pervasive stigmatisation of unmarried mothers and their children robbed those individuals of their agency and sometimes their future."
The remains of 802 children, from newborns to three year olds, were buried between 1925 and 1961 in one mother and baby home alone, a 2017 interim report found. The prime minister at the time, Enda Kenny, described the burial site at Tuam, in the western county of Galway, as a “chamber of horrors”.
An inquiry was launched six years ago after evidence of an unmarked mass graveyard at Tuam was uncovered by amateur historian Catherine Corless, who said she had been haunted by childhood memories of skinny children from the home. The babies were buried in 20 chambers inside a decommissioned sewage tank.
Relatives say they believe the babies were mistreated because they were born to unmarried girls and women who, like their children, were seen as a stain on Ireland’s image as a devout Roman Catholic nation.
The Church’s reputation in Ireland has been shattered by a series of scandals over paedophile priests, abuse at workhouses and forced adoptions of babies born outside marriage.
Pope Francis begged forgiveness for the scandals during the first papal visit to the country in almost four decades in 2018. Government records show that the mortality rate for children at the homes where tens of thousands of girls and women, including rape victims, were sent to give birth, was often more than five times that of those born to married parents.
The Church ran many of Ireland’s social services in the 20th century. While run by nuns, the homes received state funding and, as adoption agencies, were also regulated by the state.
While Irish voters have overwhelmingly approved abortion and gay marriage in referendums in recent years, the mother and baby home scandal has revived anguish over how women and children were treated in the not-too-distant past.
The 3,000-plus page report – which was leaked in a newspaper at the weekend – makes for difficult reading, deputy prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Monday.
“One of the things that hit me was the extent to which this was an enormous societal failure and an enormous societal shame that we have a stolen generation of children who did not get the upbringing they should have,” he told national broadcaster RTE.
Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Top 10 most polluted cities
- Bhiwadi, India
- Ghaziabad, India
- Hotan, China
- Delhi, India
- Jaunpur, India
- Faisalabad, Pakistan
- Noida, India
- Bahawalpur, Pakistan
- Peshawar, Pakistan
- Bagpat, India
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
HEADLINE HERE
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
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The Breadwinner
Director: Nora Twomey
Starring: Saara Chaudry, Soma Chhaya, Laara Sadiq
Three stars
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
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