24 June 2021
A new law which proposes to give adopted people access to their birth certs for the first time is very welcome but must be amended so that all falsified birth certs are covered, and so that adoptions from any institution – not just the 44 which are listed – are included.
ICCL Executive Director Liam Herrick said:
“Everyone should know who they are and where they came from. Identity is a fundamental human right. But many people across Ireland and abroad were victims of forced and illegal adoptions from Mother and Baby Homes and other institutions in the twentieth century. Many do not have access to their birth certs. Government must ensure access to birth certs for all adopted people.”
Mr Herrick made his remarks in the context of ICCL’s submission to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Children, Disability, Equality and Integration on the General Scheme of the Birth Information and Tracing Bill. In it, ICCL makes seven recommendations for improving the proposed law.
One of our recommendations is that the Bill should provide for people to receive information on the circumstances of death and burial site of their relative. The failure to provide such information may constitute a violation of the international prohibition on torture, inhumane or degrading treatment and/or the right to know the truth regarding enforced disappearances. We urge the government to ratify the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances and to follow best practice indicated by this binding international treaty. Ireland has signed but not ratified (officially codified into national law) this treaty.
Other recommendations include removing restrictions on access to personal data; removing the minimum age for access to information; ensuring that a lack of compliance with a request for information under the Bill has an enforcement mechanism; and providing counselling to all birth parents and adopted people.
ENDS/
Find ICCL’s submission on the Information and Tracing Bill here: https://www.iccl.ie/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/210623-ICCL-Information-and-Tracing-Bill-Submission.pdf
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) is Ireland’s oldest independent human rights campaigning organisation. We monitor, educate and campaign to secure human rights for everyone in Ireland.
For comment: Liam Herrick
For media queries: sinead.nolan@iccl.ie