Campaigner Says Victims of State-Run Institution Abuse Are Forgotten
Cyril Glass highlights the neglect of victims from state-run institutions in a recent committee meeting
Cyril Glass, Survivors Together, State-Run Institutions, Historical Institutional Abuse, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Belfast: Cyril Glass from Survivors Together recently spoke at a Stormont committee meeting, sharing some heavy feelings about how victims of abuse in state-run institutions are often overlooked.
He pointed out that after the Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, most attention seemed to be on places run by religious groups, leaving state-run facilities in the shadows.
Cyril mentioned that many survivors feel like their stories are forgotten. He said, “We formed Survivors Together because we didn’t have a voice for what happened in state-run institutions.”
He shared that members of his group often tell him, “No one knows about us,” referring to places like Whiteabbey Training School and Millisle Borstal.
Cyril emphasized that when people think of institutional abuse, they usually think of the Catholic Church, not the state’s role in it. This has left many feeling neglected and concerned.
He also criticized a public apology made by Stormont ministers in 2022, saying it didn’t feel genuine since there was no first or deputy first minister present at the time.
Cyril and his group chose not to attend that apology, believing the government wasn’t fully owning up to its responsibilities. They would have preferred a direct apology from the secretary of state instead.