23/08/2013

Historical Abuse Team Visits Australia

A team from the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry is to travel to Australia in September to assist applicants and potential witnesses in the country.

To date, 355 individuals have made a formal application to speak to the Inquiry, set up to explore the extent of physical and sexual child abuse in state and Catholic Church-run institutions in Northern Ireland.

Most of the applications (224) have come from individuals residing in Northern Ireland; however 57 have come from Australia, 47 from Great Britain, 17 from the Republic of Ireland and five from other countries.

The Inquiry’s Acknowledgement Forum has now met with 173 applicants, while its legal team has interviewed 60 potential witnesses to help prepare witness statements.

An Inquiry spokesperson said: "The Inquiry welcomes the fact that the number of applications from Northern Ireland and elsewhere has risen significantly over the past months, following extensive promotional and outreach work.

"The Inquiry is very conscious of the need to make the whole process as accessible as possible to potential witnesses, wherever they may reside.

"It is for this reason that it has decided to send a team to Australia to meet the large number of applicants there.

"This will reduce the need for applicants to travel to Northern Ireland, and will help to ensure that as many potential witnesses as possible can speak in person to the Inquiry."

In February 2013, the Inquiry launched a promotional and outreach campaign, designed to raise awareness and to encourage potential witnesses to come forward.

The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry will be holding its third public hearing at 11:00 on Wednesday 4 September, 2013.

(IT/CD)

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