The government has agreed to provide supports for a group of men and women who partook in a hunger strike for 51 days, but the State must never put abuse survivors through such an ordeal again, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins.<\/p>\n
Deputy Cummins said:<\/p>\n
\u201cI am deeply relieved to hear that the survivors of abuse in industrial and reformatory schools have ended their hunger strike following the government\u2019s announcement of a support package.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe bravery, resilience and dignity shown by Miriam Moriarty Owens, Mary Donovan, Mary Dunlevy Greene, and Maurice Patton O\u2019Connell over the past 51 days has moved people across the country, and their determination has finally brought long-overdue attention to their needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile today\u2019s news brings some comfort, serious questions must now be asked about why it took 51 days of protest outside the Houses of the Oireachtas for survivors to be heard.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one who has already suffered so much should have to resort to such drastic measures simply to have their voices acknowledged by the State – this delay represents not only a gross lack of compassion, but a failure of governance and accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe measures announced, including financial assistance, improved healthcare supports and access to housing, are welcome and necessary – however, the government must ensure that these commitments are implemented swiftly and in full partnership with survivors.<\/p>\n
\u201cPromises alone will not heal the pain or restore trust.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is vital that we now understand how this situation was allowed to escalate for so long. I am calling for a full and transparent review of the State\u2019s handling of this matter so that lessons are learned and such neglect is never repeated.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday should mark the beginning of a genuine and lasting commitment to justice and dignity for all survivors of institutional abuse.\u201d<\/p>\n
November 11th, 2025<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The government has agreed to provide supports for a group of men and women who partook in a hunger strike for 51 days, but the State must never put abuse survivors through such an ordeal again, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins. Deputy Cummins said: \u201cI am deeply relieved to hear that the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11586,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[640,218,581,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-accountability","category-education","category-jen-cummins","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n