Women who brought children into the world between 1920 and 1998 received an official apology from the Dáil on Wednesday the 13th of January 2021.
This apology has arrived 23 years late. The last “home” for mothers and babies closed its doors in 1998. Two full decades have passed since these women were allowed to walk free from their religious captors.
And still, a 3000 paged report cannot begin to express the lifelong and irreversible trauma these women and their children have been forced to bear in their hearts for decades after the closure of the Irish mother and baby homes. The Taoiseach (Prime Minister) gave a lengthy apology to the people of Ireland this week for the tyranny upheld by church and state against the greatest miracle of all – the creation of life.
So, if Mr. Martin (Prime Minister) is so appalled by the long-standing institutionalization of these women, then why then is this coalition government still upholding the institutionalization of asylum seekers in Direct Provision?
In his public address, An Taoiseach said that state institutionalization creates power structures and abuse of said power. He also said that this should never happen again in our country. He said it was against the “fundamental dignity and rights” of those who were forced to exist in these institutions.
For those that are unaware, Direct Provision Centres are Ireland’s reception system for asylum seekers fleeing from war, famine, and poverty. These institutions are commonly set up and run on a for-profit basis on behalf of the government by private contractors.
The people living in these institutions are forced to live in small, hotel-style rooms for months, or even years, with no access to cooking facilities. They live under strict curfews and are not allowed to work legally until they are granted exit from Direct Provision. Unrelated women, children, and men are often forced to share these rooms.
The typical length of time spent in these centers is two years, but people have been known to spend up to 12. Many babies have been born in and have grown into teens without ever knowing a life outside of Direct Provision. The issues that shadow these people after they are granted exit from these centers are staggering and long-lasting.
Where is the “dignity” in these institutions? Where is the “society grounded in respect”? The “diversity” or the“tolerance and equality”? An Taoiseach this week claimed that, as a society, we must uphold these values from here on out.
As long as these centres remain open, the government should not be trusted. Frankly, the vile incongruity of their words and their actions is blood boiling. Are we going to let the leaders of our generation apologise for previous generational atrocities while they allow another generation to perpetuate? We cannot stay asleep through this. Until this wrong is rectified, society must think twice about accepting this government as its leader, governor, or guide.