Stormont has been urged to remove a “cruel clause” that “writes out” thousands of women, girls and their children in a mother and baby homes Bill.
Campaigners, including survivors of the homes run by the Catholic Church, religious orders, some Protestant denominations as well as the State, and relatives, gathered at Parliament Buildings on Monday.
More than 14,000 women and girls are thought to have passed through the institutions, with many found to have been mistreated, held against their will and forced to give up their children for adoption.
The Inquiry (Mother and Baby Institutions, Magdalene Laundries and Workhouses) and Redress Scheme Bill was introduced at the Assembly earlier this year, and is being scrutinised by the Executive Office Committee.
The Bill is to establish a statutory public inquiry and a statutory redress scheme, with a payment of £10,000 to be made to eligible claimants, and a £2,000 payment to eligible family members on behalf of a loved one who has died since September 29 2011.
Adele Johnstone, of Birth Mothers and their Child Together (BMATCT), described the 2011 cut-off date as “cruel”.
“On one hand we are pleased we have finally got as far as the legislation being written but there needs to be a lot of work done to make it acceptable to victims and survivors,” she said.
“There are a lot of aspects that need to be discussed and hopefully amended.
“We are quite hopeful going forward, but it all depends on their decisions at the end of the day.
“It’s been a long, long campaign, and a long, hard campaign, jumping through hoops, meeting ministers, baring our souls to the public. It’s not easy.
“But with one cruel clause in the Bill, they have written out thousands of women, girls and their children.
“The 2011 date for posthumous claims is utterly unacceptable and we will continue to fight that.”
Roisin and Lisa Morris were among those who attended Stormont on Monday.
Their mother Madeline Morris was sent to the Marianville Mother and Baby Home on the Ormeau Road in south Belfast when she was 18, after becoming pregnant, and forced to give her baby up for adoption.
Mrs Morris died in 1992, and the Bill as it is currently written will not recognise her.
“That’s why we’re here today,” Roisin Morris said, adding that they had not found out what happened to their mother until her first child came searching for her last year.
Lisa Morris said: “As things stand at the minute, our mummy won’t be recognised, and it’s very unfair, so we’re going to be her voice.”
Meanwhile the Executive Office Committee has made an appeal to hear from people directly affected by the Bill, and is holding a series of events.
Committee chairwoman Paula Bradshaw said: “This is a Bill to make provision relating to one of the most distressing and hurtful episodes in Northern Ireland’s history.
“At this stage, the committee’s role is to ensure that the Bill leads to the creation of a truth and redress scheme that is strong, robust, fit for purpose, and capable of delivering the greatest possible impact.
“Getting the foundations of the Inquiry and the Redress Scheme right is essential, and the Committee takes this responsibility extremely seriously.
“Whilst personal narratives and testimony are not the focus at this stage, they remain a vital part of the broader context, having significantly informed the Bill’s creation and will help us in our role of scrutinising this important piece of legislation.”
