Latest news with #CaoilfhionnGallagher
RTÉ News
09-07-2025
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Rapporteur welcomes commission into abuse in schools
The Special Rapporteur on Child Protection has welcomed a Commission of Investigation into allegations of historical sexual abuse in schools, adding she hopes Ireland can replicate what other countries have done in removing the statue of limitations in relation to child sexual abuse. The Government yesterday said it is to establish a Commission of Investigation into allegations of historical sexual abuse in schools across the country. Further work will be carried out to examine the matter of financial redress and how any future scheme could be funded. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Caoilfhionn Gallagher said that many victims and survivors find it very difficult to come forward, and that "a number of countries" have removed their statues of limitations in relation to child sexual abuse. "I hope that's something that Ireland does too," she added. Ms Gallagher said that "lessons have been learned from what's gone wrong before" such as survivor engagement. She added that a redress scheme "means different things to different people". "Accountability means different things to different people," said Ms Gallagher. She said that there must be clear communication and transparency allowing survivors to make informed choices as to whether to engage with the commission. "There's got to be support for survivors at key stages of the process and support for those with additional needs to enable them to access the process, and there's got to be a trauma informed approach. She said steps have to be taken to "mitigate the risks of re-traumatisation in consultation with survivors and expert advice". Ms Gallagher explained that the commission will use a sampling approach, which she said is proven to be effective as this system has been used in other jurisdictions. "When they're looking at handling by schools and related entities of abuse between 1927 and 2013, that's a huge period of time," she said. "And sadly, as we know, there were many, many thousands of children abused over that period of time. And if they were to look in depth into each and every one of those allegations, the inquiry would never be done. "So what they are doing is they are going to have a kind of sampling approach, which means they'll look at in more depth at particular examples, whether it's category of school, a particular time period, a geographic location to give them a sense." Tusla to work with new commission The Chief Executive of the child and family agency Tusla said it will work with the new commission into abuse in schools. Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Kate Duggan said that it is very important to hear the voice of survivors. "Survivors are already waiting so long for the acknowledgement and to be heard" "We will work with the commission in any way that we are asked to do so in terms of really trying to make sure that we get an acknowledgement, a recognition of the level of abuse that was suffered within those schools." She said it was important that "we never become complacent, to think that this might never happen again". Meanwhile, a rights campaigner for victims of sexual abuse in State-run schools said it is important that the Government to be included in the investigation. Louise O'Keefe said the State must be held accountable for the role it played in allowing abuses to continue, adding that not all schools were run by religious orders. "It is hugely important, because there has been a delay of 11 and a half years," she said. "But yet we do know that back in the early 1941 that the state were aware at that stage of the fact that sexual abuse was happening in our schools." She said that redress is an acknowledgement to survivors that they were let down. "Survivors are already waiting so long for the acknowledgement and to be heard," she said. "They haven't been listened to. They haven't been heard. They really haven't been heard and they must be heard."
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Former prisoners and hostages urge Starmer to secure release of Jimmy Lai
Former prisoners and hostages wrongly held abroad have urged the UK prime minister to urgently secure the release of the pro-democracy campaigner Jimmy Lai before he dies in a Hong Kong jail. The 77-year-old media mogul, who is a British citizen, has been held in solitary confinement for 1,602 days and his family fears he might not survive another summer in Hong Kong, where temperatures can reach 40C (104F). A letter to Keir Starmer signed by 22 people who were detained abroad and their family members, says he must act 'before it is too late'. The signatories include Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Jason Rezaian who were held in Iran, Matthew Hedges who was imprisoned in the UAE, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, Alsu Kurmasheva and Paul Whelan, who were released by Russia last year in a prisoner swap with the US. They write: 'We know firsthand the horror of these cases and the reality of living everyday with the knowledge you may never see your loved one again. We also know that resolving these cases and bringing British citizens home to the UK depends on robust, principled, strategic action by the UK government.' At a press conference in London on Wednesday, Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, lead international counsel for Lai and his son, Jimmy, said there had been 'outrageous foot dragging' in Lai's case, involving charges under the city's punitive national security law. She said it was supposed to last 30 days when it started after multiple adjournments in December 2023 but a current six-month pause meant closing submissions would not take place until August. Richard Ratcliffe, husband of Zaghari-Ratcliffe, said: 'I think we do need to be looking at government squarely in the eye and saying … 'How dare you not prioritise the protection of your citizens from torture, from profound injustice and from the risk of death?'' An emotional Anoosheh Ashoori, 71, who was released in Iran at the same time as Zaghari-Ratcliffe, said: 'Luckily, I was only 116 days in a solitary confinement. With someone who has been there for such a long time, even for me it is difficult to imagine how resilient he must be and what he has been through.' The signatories urge Starmer to urgently accede to the Lai's son's request for a meeting with the prime minister. Gallagher said that raising Lai's case bilaterally was not enough, the UK government had to make the Chinese understand 'that actually there is a conditionality or an impact if they don't engage'. A UK government spokesperson said Lai's case was a priority, adding: 'We continue to call on the Hong Kong authorities to end their politically motivated prosecution and immediately release Jimmy Lai.'
