Abuse victims call for payout action

By Siobhan Fenton
Times
October 31, 2017

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/abuse-victims-call-for-payout-action-3m7xnwpgt

Members of Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse protest outside Stormont yesterday to highlight how abuse victims have been denied compensation due to the powersharing deadlock in Northern Ireland

Victims of historical child abuse have urged Northern Ireland’s politicians to release compensation which has been blocked due to Stormont’s collapse, as talks aimed at restoring powersharing have so far failed to reach agreement.

Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse (Savia), which represents people who were abused, called on James Brokenshire, the Northern Ireland secretary, to make provision for victims’ compensation if talks fail and a budget is introduced in Westminster.

After an inquiry into abuse at children’s homes, recommendations were made in January to the Northern Ireland Assembly to award compensation to victims and survivors.

However, just days after the report powersharing collapsed at Stormont meaning that no government has been in place to approve the release of funds. The parties’ deadline to reach…