Many of the women were ostracised from their own families and had nowhere to turn except to the homes run by nuns.
– Harsh conditions –
Conditions were harsh at the homes, with death records showing the children in the Tuam home died from malnutrition, pneumonia and infectious diseases.
“The history of ‘mother and baby’ homes in Ireland reflects a brutally, unforgiving response by society,” Minister for Children Charlie Flanagan said in the Irish parliament on Thursday.
Another congregation of nuns, who ran three similar homes in Ireland, said they would welcome an inquiry into the issues surrounding the burial of babies and children in unmarked graves.
London-based group Amnesty called for a “thorough investigation” and warned the case may not be a one-off.
“As disturbing as the ‘Tuam babies’ case is, it must not be viewed in isolation,” said Colm O’Gorman, Executive Director, Amnesty International Ireland.
“The Irish authorities must look into possible allegations of ill-treatment of women and children in other so-called ‘mother and baby homes’ and other institutions run by the state or religious authorities.”
The rights group suggested it was possible that some of the deaths occurred at a time when the European Convention on Human Rights was in force.
“The Irish Government must not view this and other cases as merely historic and beyond its human rights obligations,” said John Dalhuisen, Europe and Central Asia Programme Director at Amnesty International.
Under conservative Catholic teaching of the time, children born outside of marriage were not baptised and were therefore denied a Catholic burial on consecrated ground.
A fundraising committee has now been formed and it is hoped that a memorial will be built on the grounds with all the names and ages of the children displayed. The Bon Secours said they were “committed to engaging” with the plans.
The Catholic Church in Ireland has been rocked in recent decades by almost countless revelations of abuse and neglect at Catholic-run schools or institutions.
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