The report of the Commission on Mother and Baby Homes has been described as a âdamning indictmentâ of both the church and State, by a coalition of survivorsâ groups.
In a statement, the Coalition of Mother and Baby Home Survivors said the âtruly shockingâ report vindicated those who had been campaigning on the issue for many years.
The long-awaited report, published on Tuesday, found that women who gave birth outside of marriage were subjected to âparticularly harsh treatmentâ by society at the time.
The report said responsibility for that cruel treatment ârests mainly with the fathers of their children and their own immediate families,â but added it was supported and condoned by the âinstitutions of the State and the churches.â