Northern Ireland Abuse Inquiry Urged
New Report Demands Full Public Inquiry into Northern Ireland Clerical Abuse Spanning a Century
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A new report is calling for a full public inquiry into historical clerical abuse in Northern Ireland, covering a period stretching from 1922 to 2024. The report documents harrowing accounts of sexual, physical and emotional abuse carried out in faith-based settings linked to both the Catholic Church and Protestant churches, according to Penarth Times.
Among the most disturbing accounts, a priest used the sacrament of confession to coerce a boy into stimulating his sexual pleasure. Another case described a girl subjected to so-called "exorcism" rituals on intimate parts of her body. Legal firm KRW Law says only a full public inquiry has the legal powers needed to uncover the complete truth, Hereford Times reported.
What the Report Found: Abuse Hidden Behind Faith
The report gathered testimony from victims and survivors spanning over a century — from 1922 to 2024. Abuse took place in faith-based settings run by both Catholic and Protestant institutions. Victims described religious rituals being twisted into tools of abuse. One account detailed a priest pressing a boy's head close to his groin during confession, according to Barrhead News.
Another account described "exorcising demons" being used as cover to abuse a young girl's body. These were not isolated incidents. The report paints a pattern of clergy using their religious authority to control, silence and harm children over many decades, Echo News reported.
The HIAI Inquiry That Opened the Door to More Questions
The Historical Institutional Abuse Inquiry, known as HIAI, already exposed widespread abuse in religious and secular institutions between 1922 and 1995. It was a landmark investigation for Northern Ireland. But it also made clear that much remained uncovered, Cumnock Chronicle reported.
The HIAI's findings prompted calls for further probes into clerical child abuse, as well as into Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene institutions. These were places where vulnerable women and children were sent — and where abuse is believed to have been widespread. Survivors say the full story has still not been told, according to Alloa Advertiser.
KRW Law: Only a Public Inquiry Can Force Out the Truth
Legal firm KRW Law welcomed the new report as a meaningful step forward. The firm said it gives important recognition to victims and deepens public understanding of the scale of clerical abuse. But they were clear that acknowledgment alone is not enough, according to Kilburn Times.
KRW Law stressed that a full public inquiry is the only mechanism with the legal power to compel witnesses, access documents and establish accountability. Without it, they warn, institutions can continue to withhold information. Survivors, they said, deserve more than a report — they deserve answers, Reading Chronicle reported.
Survivors Seek Accountability After More Than a Century of Silence
For many victims, decades have passed since the abuse occurred. Some have waited their entire lives for official recognition. The report covering 1922 to 2024 represents the broadest effort yet to document their experiences in Northern Ireland, Enfield Independent reported.
Campaigners argue that without a full statutory inquiry — one backed by law and government authority — the institutions responsible will never be fully held to account. The call is now on Northern Ireland's political leaders to act. For survivors, time is running out, according to Halesow News.
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